For more than twenty years, we have been hearing that one day we would be able to use power of the sun to generate free electric power for our homes. This is a great promise and could even become true some day, as the sun gives us more energy in a day than the world could use in 27 years! To begin with, we could use the sun’s energy to light our homes, indoors and out, with no cost other than the charges for the equipment and its installation.
Let’s see how we can convert solar power to create electricity for lighting products.
Photovoltaics – Converting Photons to Electrons
Through photovoltaics, which use of semi-conductors, we can convert sunlight into electricity. And electricity is all it takes to power our homes.
A photovoltaic cell is made of semi-conductor materials, such as silicon, that absorb a portion of the sunlight that comes across it. A number of photovoltaic cells are connected, in series or parallel, to form a solar panel. The solar energy produced by these solar panels depends on the number of individual cells in the panel and the way these cells are arranged. Cells in a panel are arranged in such a way as to produce voltages in increments of 12, such as 12 volts, 24 volts, 36 volts, etc.
The streams of energy particles from sunlight are called photons. Photons generate electricity as they hit the silicon atoms of the solar cells. Mirrored dishes and Fresnel lenses--which are concentric rings of segmental lenses--are used to concentrate photons on the photovoltaic cells and liberate the electrons on hitting the negatively charged plates. This flowing of electrons is an electric current, which can be drawn off for use in lighting.
The advantage of using photovoltaics to generate electricity is that it is non-polluting. It requires little or no maintenance, and since it doesn’t have any moving parts, it’s silent during operation.
For use of electricity at night to light up the homes, indoor and outdoor, photovoltaic power is stored in deep cycle batteries. Most photovoltaic systems are designed to supply electricity when required and have batteries to store electricity generated by the solar panels. To control their charge and limit their discharge, these batteries require electronic devices. As photovoltaics and batteries are DC devices, photovoltaic systems usually include AC /DC inverters. You receive AC power supply in standard voltages and frequencies for use at home.
After the initial cost of the equipment to generate electricity from solar power, you get to use free electricity to light up your home.
Written By: J.R. Ferrara
