What is Solar Energy ?

During photovoltaic conversion, solar energy is collected through panels, called solar panels. Solar panels are covered with large modules which are covered with lots of little PV cells, or photovoltaic cells. The PV cells collect the light from the sun. Once the light is inside a PV cell. A photon is a particle of solar energy. Within the semiconductor, energy of the photons shifts to the electrons. This energizes the electrons. Then the electrons break out of the semiconductor to get to the silicone atoms. Then they flow into the electric current. Usually a solar cell is made of a glass protective layer, an anti-reflective coat, and electric contacts. We use PV cell systems every day. Common tools like watches and calculators are powered with PV systems. Look at the top of a calculator. Do you see the little squares at the top? Those are lots of little PV cells. Usually PV cells don’t generate much electricity. PV cells generate about ½ a volt per square decimeter. A solar panel making fifty watts of electricity is about four decimeters by ten decimeters. What if you don’t know how much energy your appliance or machine needs? Well, the answer is easy.

Southampton airport gets solar-powered runway lights

Solar-powered lighting has been installed alongside Southampton Airport's runway.

Nick-named "Wig Wags" the flashing lights cost £25,000 in total and are used at junctions between the runway and taxiways.

Southampton is the first UK airport to install the lights which are also used by the US Air Force in Afghanistan.

An airport spokesperson said: "We've been able to minimise the environmental footprint and maintenance costs."

Solar energy

The five units, supplied by Systems Interface Ltd in Surrey, use solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity and ensure the lights operate 24 hours a day.

Their batteries can store enough energy to permanently operate the lights for up to 120 days without any solar charging.

The lights have also been installed in areas of the airport where there is no access to power supplies, saving the £170,000 cost of laying cables.

They were trialled during last winter as replacements for the conventional lighting systems.
Mark Gibb, director of airside operations admitted: "It's a drop in the ocean, but nonetheless it is part of our overall commitment to, wherever possible, identify possibilities to reduce carbon emissions.

"This is one small but important example of using new, innovative technology."

The airport has a target of cutting electricity use by 2.5% throughout 2010.

Mr Gibb added the airport would look at replacing actual runway lights with solar powered models when they come for up for renewal.

Solar Power

Solar power is produced by collecting sunlight and converting it into electricity. This is done by using solar panels, which are large flat panels made up of many individual solar cells. It is most often used in remote locations, although it is becoming more popular in urban areas as well. This page contains articles that explore advances in solar energy technology.In a market-friendly scenario, Nano solar claims to be able to produce electricity at 5-6 cents/kilowatt hour almost as cheap as power from coal and at about one-third the cost of other solar power. Nano solar claims: Nano solar claims mass production of solar power will now become feasible with their differently manufactured solar panels. Conventional silicon-made solar panels have a stiff competitor from CIGS semiconductor printed solar panels - composed of copper, gallium, indium and selenium - which perform as good as conventional solar panels in lab conditions. An inexpensive printing process makes it ideal for mass production by an automated facility with robots and other hi-fi equipment.

Other Interesting Solar Energy Facts:

1.In 1447, Leonardo Da Vince predicted a future solar industrialization 2.In just one hour, every day, more Solar Energy strikes the surface of the Earth than could be used by the entire population in a full year 3.In 1990, a completely solar powered aircraft (no fuel use at all) flew more than 3000 miles across the USA 4.Fierce weather is a side-effect of global warming, and in in 1998, $130 billion dollars in damages due to weather were recorded around the world (more than the combined totals from 1980 - 1990) 5.Roughly 2 Billion people (nearly 1/3rd) of the world’s population is without electricity 6.The USA makes up 5% of the world’s population, but uses more than 26% of the world’s energy 7.In energy consumption from a single source, ovens are number one, followed by microwaves and air conditioners 8.Third world countries with abundant sunlight and no electric infrastructure are the fastest-growing market for solar energy - in developed countries, industry and utilities are the lartgest consumers 9.Shell Oil, a leading petroleum company, predicts that 50%, or more, of the world’s energy will come from renewable energy sources (including solar) by the year 2040

Solar Energy Facts About Solar Systems:

1.A typical solar electric (PV) system includes: solar panels, a dc-ac inverter, a battery, a charge controller (if batteries are used) and the wiring and mounting frame 2.A kilowatt PV System can be installed in 1-2 days, with a typical cost of around $10,000 (not accounting for any federal, state and local incentives/credits) 3.A typical 1kW PV System will consist of about 10-12 solar panels (depending on the size (wattage) of the solar panels) which are installed facing south in the northern hemisphere and north in the southern hemisphere 4.A typical a 1kW PV System requires about 100 sq ft of roof/ground/pole space for installation 5. In a sunny climate (5.5 hours of sun/day) a 1kW PV System will produce around 1600 kWh of electricity per year, whereas, the same system in a cloudier climate (2.5 hours of sun/day) will produce about 750 kWh per year 6.On the Eco-Friendly side, a 1kW PV System will prevent around 170 lbs of coal from being burned every year, 300 lbs of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere and save 105 gallons of precious water from being consumed 7.A typical Solar Energy System comes with a 5-year warranty, however, the solar panels will generally have a 20-year warranty 8.With a proper battery backup, a Solar Energy System can produce 100% of a home or business’ energy needs (including nighttime and cloudy hours) 9.Solar Energy can easily be stored in batteries, reflected, insulated absorbed, transmitted and used to power your home/office appliances

Solar Energy Facts About Usage:

1.Solar Energy is measured in kilowatt-hours - 1 kilowatt = 1000 watts 2.The abbreviation for kilowatt-hour is kWh 3.1 kWh is the amount of electricity used to burn a 100 watt incandescent light bulb for 10 hours 4. In 1999, the US DOE (Department of Energy), reported that the average American household used 866 kilowatt-hours/month (an average cost of $70.68) .5 On average, 30% of energy consumption is used for hot water heating

General Solar Energy Facts:

1.Solar Energy is far more environmentally friendly than traditional energy forms 2.Solar Energy is available in several forms, for several uses, including electricity, hot water heating and radiant/space heating 3.Solar Energy is often found in our day to day lives, including heating swimming pools, power for cars, running attic fans and lighting (both indoors and outdoors) and Solar Energy even powers millions of calculators around the world every day 4.Solar Energy can even be used for cooking 5.Solar Energy is becoming dramatically more popular than ever before - Currently, the world-wide demand for solar energy products can not be met by the supply