Technological Innovations In Solar Panels
Among all the alternative energy sources, a solar panel is by far the most affordable and most efficient. Using the photovoltaic effect, the sun’s energy is used to produce electricity. Because they can produce clean and environment-friendly energy to users, solar panels are very popular. To this date, solar panel manufacturers are trying to enhance and develop solar panel technology in order to come up with more efficient and cheaper source of energy for us to use.
Brief History of Solar Panel Technology
The use of sun’s energy has been widely depicted even in the primitive years. Back then, people are very much aware of the power that the sun’s ray brings. Even if we go back a hundred years, to the beginning of the industrial revolution, we will see traces of the sun’s use as an electricity source. Solar power plants were constructed to make use of streams coming from the sun as a source of energy for various machineries. The photovoltaic effect was also discovered by Henri Becquerel during this time. The main problem was that the use of solar energy was inefficient and expensive. Using solar energy was only restricted to the industrialists. The first solar cell was only built in 1883. Steady progress in the solar energy fields have been made since then.
Solar Panel Technology at Present Time
Finding a way to bring the power of sun’s energy into people’s homes has been the main goal of solar panel manufacturers. Modern-day solar panels aim to decrease production cost while increasing solar energy efficiency. The foremost innovation in solar panels today are what we call monocrystalline solar panels, or solar panels made from crystalline silicon. This type of solar panels uses large crystalline silicon to convert sun’s rays into electricity. However, they are the most expensive type of solar panel available despite being the most effcient.
Another type of solar panels being used today are the polycrystalline solar panels. These types are the most available in the market. They bear the appearance of shattered glass, having been made from small crystalline silicon. This is a less efficient type of solar panel technology than the monocrystalline types. However, they are cheaper and more likely to be used at home.
The latest development in solar panel technology today is in line with amorphous solar panels. This solar panel type makes use of thin silicon films. A different production process is used to form these thin-like films. The silicon materials used in this type of solar panel do not have crystalline in them. The different materials used to produce solar panels are covered by this thin film. There are two types of thin-film solar panels today. The two types include flexible thin-film modules and rigid thin-film modules. Among the three types of solar panels being used today, the thin-film solar panel is the cheapest in terms of production. It, however, produces the lovest energy efficiency out of all the types, as well. What makes this type stand out among the other types of solar panel is its ability to charge even if some parts of the solar cells are not exposed to sunlight.
In choosing among the different types of solar panel to use, employ the time-tested efficiency vs. cost strategy. If you want your solar panel to have high efficiency and durability, go with monocrystalline and polycrystalline. If you need to power high energy machineries, then amorphous panels are your best bet.