Solar panels absorb energy from the sun for immediate use or storage. There are two types: photovoltaic modules, which convert energy into electricity, and solar thermal collectors, which absorb energy as heat. Solar panels are made up of solar cells and the most common type uses crystalline silicon. Innovations aim to increase efficiency and make panels thinner, transparent, and flexible. Solar thermal collectors have been used for hundreds of years to heat water for various purposes.
A solar panel is a device intended to absorb energy from the sun’s rays, either for immediate use or for storage. There are two main types of solar panels: photovoltaic modules and solar thermal collectors. Photovoltaic modules are meant to convert the sun’s energy into electrical energy, to power things like lights, computers or cars. Solar thermal collectors are built to absorb the sun’s energy directly as heat energy, and are often used to heat water for showers, or to heat water that may be forced through a structure to heat it.
The first type of solar panel, the photovoltaic module, is actually a collection of a number of solar cells. Most solar panels comprise a solar array or photovoltaic array. Solar cells are combined into a single solar panel for ease of use and economy of scale. By combining them into manageable panels, they become easier to transport and install, and the electronics used to process them can be shared by a number of different solar cells.
The most common type of solar panel uses crystalline silicon in the form of wafers or thin films made up of silicon or cadmium telluride. When light hits the solar panel, part of the light energy is absorbed in the semiconductor that composes it, releasing the electrons. These electrons are then forced in one direction, creating a current, which can then be captured, converted, and used to power whatever we need. It’s a simple enough concept, but there’s a fascinating world of innovations and breakthroughs currently underway to unlock the power of the solar panel.
One of the more immediate concerns with a solar panel is how to get the most energy out of the smallest amount of surface area. A solar panel is expensive and takes up space, so it needs to be economical both financially and in terms of footprint, so that they are worth installing rather than drawing electricity from a grid. Consumer solar panels currently operate at about 5% to 18% efficiency, and this number has increased significantly over the past decade. There is a robust industry built around the production of innovative solar panels that can absorb even more sunlight, and it seems likely that affordable consumer solar panels that absorb 20% to 30% will soon be available.
There are also more exotic plans in store to boost efficiency massively, with many theoretical designs hoping for efficiency as high as 50%. This has implications for a wide range of applications, from powering homes to powering vehicles to powering spaceships. Another innovation in solar panel design attempts to make the panels themselves incredibly thin, transparent, and flexible, so they can be placed over things like windows, virtually eliminating their clutter.
The other type of solar panel, the solar thermal collector, has been around for hundreds of years in one form or another. The idea is basically to place a body of water in a container and make that container absorb as much light energy as possible, by simply painting it black. This then heats the water, which can be used for many different purposes. Many people use solar forced heating to heat their homes, by running this hot water through pipes in the floors or walls, which then radiates out and heats the air inside.
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