Typical Applications of Solar Power

Often electrically connected and encapsulated as a module, PV modules of solar cells often have a sheet of glass on the front (sun up) side with a resin barrier behind, allowing light to pass while protecting the semiconductor wafers from the elements (rain, hail, etc.). They are also usually connected in series in modules, creating an additive voltage and higher efficiency. Connecting cells in parallel will yield higher amperage. Modules are then interconnected, in series or parallel, or both, to create an array with the desired peak DC voltage and current.
The power output of a solar array is given in watts or kilowatts. In order to calculate the typical energy needs of the application, a measurement in kilowatt-hours (or kilowatt-hours per day) is often used, which accounts for changes in insolation.

Solar panel
Solar-thermal panels or photovoltaic (PV) modules are often arrayed as panels which can be connected either in parallel or series depending upon the design objective. They are typically found in use in residential, commercial, institutional, and light industrial applications.

PV modules recently have been a surging upwards toward large scale production. In places difficult to reach or very isolated, PV output and their economics are enhanced. PV modules are the primary component of most small-scale solar-electric power generating facilities. Solar power plants typically contain an array of reflectors (concentrators), a receiver, and a thermodynamic power cycle, and thus use solar-thermal rather than PV.

Now under construction, the largest solar panel in the world will be built in the south of Portugal. It is a 116-megawatt facility covering a 250-hectare south-facing hillside in the southern Alentejo region. It should be able to produce electricity for 21,000 households

Solar Cell in buildings
Solar arrays being seen in use more often in new domestic and industrial buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power. Often, an array is incorporated into the roof or walls of a building, roof tiles, which is visually more attractive than some of the older and larger panels. They can now even be purchased with an integrated PV cell (B.I.P.V.- Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics) . Arrays can also be retrofitted into existing buildings; in this case they are usually fitted on top of the existing roof structure. Alternatively, an array can be located separately from the building but connected by cable to supply power for the building.

Public electricity supply is called the grid. In remote or mountainous areas where the grid cannot be reached, PV may be the only possibility for generating electricity, or PV may be used together with wind and/or hydroelectric power. Batteries are usually used to store collected energy in these off-grid situations. However, the largest installations are grid-connected systems through a direct current to alternating current (DC-AC) inverter. When the load required in the building is more than that supplied by the PV array then electricity will be drawn from the grid. The reverse also applies; when the PV array is generating more power than is needed in the building then electricity will be exported to the grid. Batteries are not required and standard AC electrical equipment may be used. The average lowest retail cost of a large PV module declined from USD 7.50 to USD 4 per watt between 1990 and 2004. Recent prices have gone up 15-20% due to increased demand and silicon shortages. With many jurisdictions now giving tax and rebate incentives, and/or net metering solar electric power can now pay for itself in ten to twenty years in a few places.



スポンサード　リンク