Solar Energy: Photovoltaic Panels (PV)

Running head: SOLAR ENERGY 1
Solar Energy: Photovoltaic Panels (PV)
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SOLAR ENERGY 2
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Solar Energy....................................................................................................................................3
Solar Electricity...............................................................................................................................4
Photovoltaic Energy.....................................................................................................................4
Trends of Photovoltaic Energy....................................................................................................4
Process of electricity generation..................................................................................................5
Characteristics of a Solar Cell......................................................................................................8
Types of PV cells.........................................................................................................................9
Advantages of Photovoltaic Cells................................................................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10

SOLAR ENERGY 3
Introduction
The recent past has seen an increased demand for green energy production due to the
current steady depletion of fossil fuels. The sun is one of the sources of green and renewable
energy—solar energy is inexhaustible—that contribute to maintaining the quality of the
environment. They are described as renewable sources of energy. Other examples of renewable
sources of energy include water, wind and geothermal. Currently, solar energy is widely used
around the world for a variety of purposes. Solar cells are being used to provide energy at both
commercial and household levels, particularly in developing countries. In these counties, energy
production and grid electricity coverage are low. This paper discusses solar energy production
and storage. It is specifically based on solar energy conversion, functioning and the various types
of Photovoltaic cells (PV). It finally highlights the trends, benefits, and shortcomings of solar
energy and the future of solar power production.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is the application of the light and heat energy from the sun to provide
electricity and heat. The history of the applications of solar energy can be traced back to 5th
century B.C. The Greeks used to design their houses in such a way that they could trap solar
energy (heat) to keep the houses warm during winter. The Romans, however, improved the idea
of trapping heat energy from the sun by introducing glass materials (Walker, 2013). The modern
solar energy technology was developed in the 19th century. In the previous two decades, solar
energy has made inroads. It is currently widely used in off the grid purposes such as well
pumping, rural power supply and most current application street lighting. According to In
Letcher and In Fthenakis (2018), the earth receives a total of 160,000 TW of solar energy. The

SOLAR ENERGY 4
global demand for energy is 16 TW. This proves that the current demand for power can be taken
care of sustainably.
Solar Electricity
Photovoltaic Energy
According to Sivaram (2015), some materials possess certain properties of conductivity
called photoelectric effect. Photoelectric effect property of these materials makes them cable of
absorbing light and release electrons. Photovoltaic (PV) is an energy technology field and
research that deals with the study and application of solar cells (Sukhatme, & Nayak, 2015).
Solar cells are used to convert energy from the sun—the sun’s ultraviolet radiation—into
electricity directly (Sukhatme & Nayak, 2015). The word photo in Greek implies light while
voltaic means electricity or electrical current. Solar cells produce direct current (DC) as
compared to water and stream which require a turbine to be turned for power production. It is
hence applicable in various uses for example motors and light bulbs (In Letcher & In Fthenakis,
2018).
Trends of Photovoltaic Energy
The recent past has seen an increased demand for clean sources of energy. As a result, the
manufacture of photovoltaic arrays and solar cells has drastically increased. Based on Hough
(2014), the production of photovoltaic has doubled over the last five years (Hough, 2017). In
2018, statistics showed that the production of photovoltaic increased by an average of 30 percent
as compared to 15 percent over the same period in 2013. This has made photovoltaic the fastest
growing sources of energy technology in the world. Over the same period, a cumulative figure of
about 42, 100 MW installations of photovoltaic was attained.