 HOW SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEMS WORK
Solar electric systems, also known as photovoltaic (PV)
systems, convert sunlight into electricity.
Solar cells - the basic building blocks of a PV system -
consist of semiconductor materials. When sunlight is absorbed by these
materials, the solar energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms. This
phenoenom is called the "photoelectric effect". These free electrons then
travel into a circuit built into the solar cell to form electrical current.
Only sunlight of certain wavelengths will work efficiently to create
electricity. PV systems can still produce electricity on cloudy days, but
not as much as on a sunny day.
The basic PV or solar cell typically produces only a small
amount of power. To produce more power, solar cells (about 40) can be
interconnected to form panels or modules. PV modules range in output from 10
to 300 watts. If more power is needed, several modules can be installed on a
building or at ground-level in a rack to form a PV array.
PV arrays can be mounted at a fixed angle facing south, or
they can be mounted on a tracking device that follows the sun, allowing them
to capture the most sunlight over the course of a day.
Because of their modularity, PV systems can be designed to
meet any electrical requirement, no matter how large of small. You can also
connect them to an electric distribution system (grid-connected), or they
can stand alone (off-grid).
Solar Electric System Components
A typical small solar electric, or photvoltaic (PV), system
consists of these compononets:
|
Capture the Sun