December 21, 2009
By: Admin
Category: Solar Cells
Glitter-sized Solar Photovoltaics Produce Competitive Results
Adventures in microsolar supported by microelectronics and MEMS techniques
Representative thin crystalline-silicon photovoltaic cells – these are from 14 to 20 micrometers thick and 0.25 to 1 millimeter across.
Sandia National Laboratories scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used.
The tiny cells could turn a person into a walking solar battery charger if they were fastened to flexible substrates molded around unusual shapes, such as clothing.
The solar particles, fabricated of crystalline silicon, hold the potential for a variety of new applications. They are expected eventually to be less expensive and have greater efficiencies than current photovoltaic collectors that are pieced together with 6-inch- square solar wafers.
The cells are fabricated using microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) techniques common to today’s electronic foundries.
Sandia lead investigator Greg Nielson said the research team has identified more than 20 benefits of scale for its microphotovoltaic cells. These include new applications, improved performance, potential for reduced costs and higher efficiencies.
“Eventually units could be mass-produced and wrapped around unusual shapes for building-integrated solar, tents and maybe even clothing,” he said. This would make it possible for hunters, hikers or military personnel in the field to recharge batteries for phones, cameras and other electronic devices as they walk or rest.
Sandia project lead Greg Nielson holds a solar cell test prototype with a microscale lens array fastened above it. Together, the cell and lens help create a concentrated photovoltaic unit.
Even better, such microengineered panels could have circuits imprinted that would help perform other functions customarily left to large-scale construction with its attendant need for field construction design and permits.
Said Sandia field engineer Vipin Gupta, “Photovoltaic modules made from these microsized cells for the rooftops of homes and warehouses could have intelligent controls, inverters and even storage built in at the chip level. Such an integrated module could greatly simplify the cumbersome design, bid, permit and grid integration process that our solar technical assistance teams see in the field all the time.”
For large-scale power generation, said Sandia researcher Murat Okandan, “One of the biggest scale benefits is a significant reduction in manufacturing and installation costs compared with current PV techniques.”
Part of the potential cost reduction comes about because microcells require relatively little material to form well-controlled and highly efficient devices.
From 14 to 20 micrometers thick (a human hair is approximately 70 micrometers thick), they are 10 times thinner than conventional 6-inch-by-6-inch brick-sized cells, yet perform at about the same efficiency.
100 times less silicon generates same amount of electricity
“So they use 100 times less silicon to generate the same amount of electricity,” said Okandan. “Since they are much smaller and have fewer mechanical deformations for a given environment than the conventional cells, they may also be more reliable over the long term.”
Another manufacturing convenience is that the cells, because they are only hundreds of micrometers in diameter, can be fabricated from commercial wafers of any size, including today’s 300-millimeter (12-inch) diameter wafers and future 450-millimeter (18-inch) wafers. Further, if one cell proves defective in manufacture, the rest still can be harvested, while if a brick-sized unit goes bad, the entire wafer may be unusable. Also, brick-sized units fabricated larger than the conventional 6-inch-by-6-inch cross section to take advantage of larger wafer size would require thicker power lines to harvest the increased power, creating more cost and possibly shading the wafer. That problem does not exist with the small-cell approach and its individualized wiring.
From left to right, Sandia researchers Murat OKandan, Greg Nielson, and Jose Luis Cruz-Campa, hold samples containing arrays of microsolar cells.
Other unique features are available because the cells are so small. “The shade tolerance of our units to overhead obstructions is better than conventional PV panels,” said Nielson, “because portions of our units not in shade will keep sending out electricity where a partially shaded conventional panel may turn off entirely.”
Because flexible substrates can be easily fabricated, high-efficiency PV for ubiquitous solar power becomes more feasible, said Okandan.
A commercial move to microscale PV cells would be a dramatic change from conventional silicon PV modules composed of arrays of 6-inch-by-6-inch wafers. However, by bringing in techniques normally used in MEMS, electronics and the light-emitting diode (LED) industries (for additional work involving gallium arsenide instead of silicon), the change to small cells should be relatively straightforward, Gupta said.
Each cell is formed on silicon wafers, etched and then released inexpensively in hexagonal shapes, with electrical contacts prefabricated on each piece, by borrowing techniques from integrated circuits and MEMS.
Offering a run for their money to conventional large wafers of crystalline silicon, electricity presently can be harvested from the Sandia-created cells with 14.9 percent efficiency. Off-the-shelf commercial modules range from 13 to 20 percent efficient.
A widely used commercial tool called a pick-and-place machine — the current standard for the mass assembly of electronics — can place up to 130,000 pieces of glitter per hour at electrical contact points preestablished on the substrate; the placement takes place at cooler temperatures. The cost is approximately one-tenth of a cent per piece with the number of cells per module determined by the level of optical concentration and the size of the die, likely to be in the 10,000 to 50,000 cell per square meter range. An alternate technology, still at the lab-bench stage, involves self-assembly of the parts at even lower costs.
Solar concentrators — low-cost, prefabricated, optically efficient microlens arrays — can be placed directly over each glitter-sized cell to increase the number of photons arriving to be converted via the photovoltaic effect into electrons. The small cell size means that cheaper and more efficient short focal length microlens arrays can be fabricated for this purpose.
High-voltage output is possible directly from the modules because of the large number of cells in the array. This should reduce costs associated with wiring, due to reduced resistive losses at higher voltages.
Other possible applications for the technology include satellites and remote sensing.
The project combines expertise from Sandia’s Microsystems Center; Photovoltaics and Grid Integration Group; the Materials, Devices, and Energy Technologies Group; and the National Renewable Energy Lab’s Concentrating Photovoltaics Group.
Involved in the process, in addition to Nielson, Okandan and Gupta, are Jose Luis Cruz-Campa, Paul Resnick, Tammy Pluym, Peggy Clews, Carlos Sanchez, Bill Sweatt, Tony Lentine, Anton Filatov, Mike Sinclair, Mark Overberg, Jeff Nelson, Jennifer Granata, Craig Carmignani, Rick Kemp, Connie Stewart, Jonathan Wierer,
George Wang, Jerry Simmons, Jason Strauch, Judith Lavin and Mark Wanlass (NREL).
The work is supported by DOE’s Solar Energy Technology Program and Sandia’s Laboratory Directed Research & Development program, and has been presented at four technical conferences this year.
The ability of light to produce electrons, and thus electricity, has been known for more than a hundred years.
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December 01, 2009
By: Admin
Category: Solar Light
Outdoor Solar Lights Explained
Outdoor solar lights uses the identical action to generate power as the solar panels on your ceiling (or that you could set up on your ceiling, if you selected to). Essentially, it applies photovoltaic (PV) cells, which accumulate and switch solar energy into electrical energy. The PV cells apply semiconducting materials to engage the sun’s light, which interacts with the silicon and another components to produce electrical energy. The electrical energy runs over cables which power the battery, which in go powers the light. This is an highly simple explanation, but it will present you the common idea of how solar cells play. They can only make electrical energy from direct sunshine, which is why solar lighting wants a battery in order to be able to light up the dark.
So that the batteries to keep a constant charge, the solar light fixture should be in a position that meets full sunshine for almost of the daylight. If it just gets partial sunlight, because it’s barred by trees or other construction, or because your area has much of cloudy conditions, the batteries will run out earlier, and your fixture will supply light for a lower amount of time. Most outdoor solar lights fixtures own a backup power system which applies rechargeable batteries. Solar lights fixtures which apply a small amount of electrical energy frequently apply small AA Ni-Cad or NiMh batteries. But more strong solar lights fixtures (like head lights) apply a covered lead acid battery.
Photo detectors that automatically evaluate light degrees (like the kind that tells your photographic camera when to apply its flash) are constructed into the solar lights fixtures. They monitor light degrees and turn the fixture off at morning and on at nightfall. But get sure there are no artificial light sources (like a street lights or head light) that may contribute a wrong reading and forbid the light from turning on.
Outdoor solar lights usually utilizes LED bulbs. They apply less power than incandescent bulbs and, with a lifetime of around 20 years, are much longer-lasting. Until lately, solar lights overall has not been as bright as lighting powered straight by direct current electrical energy. But the earliest super bright LEDs can at present illuminate as well as halogen bulbs.
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September 13, 2009
By: Admin
Category: Solar Panel
How To Build Your Own Solar Panels
How much are you paying for your electricity or gas bill? Would you like to save on the costs of using this energy? Then read through the following article and get an idea of what you could possibly do.
In this write up we will cover the following subjects, DIY Solar Electricity UK, making your own solar panels and Building Solar Panels instruction.
Building your own solar panels is really a sensible choice to make. Why: because firstly the price of electricity is increasing and the prices of solar panels are increasing too. So you would start saving money the minute you decide you will do this yourself unlike purchasing one. It’s not difficult building a panel its actually fun.
There is always the satisfaction that comes from knowing that you were able to do it on your own If you are good at it you might even try it as a weekend money generating project. Yes; that’s how long it normally takes about a weekend’s length and you have your own power.
This is one of the simplest tasks that you could undertake if you’re interested in saving power costs. You don’t have to worry about building your own solar panels as many of the systems are quite user friendly. They come with complete DIY guides. These guides have step by step pictures of how you can go about setting up your own panel. Most even come with instructional videos of methods.
To reduce some of the concerns you might probably have you should select a solar panel system that has a support center or toll free line you can make use of when you get to those finer details that need consulting. They should be able to tell you where and how you can find the components that are required and the prices that you should expect.
Did you also know that when you decide to undertake building your own solar panels and install them in your home you increase the value of your house by thousands? Isn’t that a great incentive to build panels in your house? If you choose to go green as they say, remember safety is important.
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July 03, 2009
By: Admin
Category: Solar Power
How Solar Power Plant Installation
Solar Power Plant is a system of clean energy and produce electricity from sunlight. Also support the issue of global warming. Because energy is widely used by State Electricity Enterprise is the energy that can not be renewable (fossil) fuel such as kerosene, gas, coal, etc. Whereas current cost of fuel has begun to become dearer. If using the sun is free energy available abundant.
Installation and Operation is very easy, enduring long and a very inexpensive investment option to be public at this time. Can be used to meet electricity needs anywhere, especially in rural areas or areas that do not (not yet) reached by State Electricity Enterprise network.
Various Benefits of Using Solar Power Plant:
- Source of energy that never runs out and is very environmentally friendly
- Can be used anywhere, especially areas that have not yet reached by State Electricity Enterprise network
- No need to pay State Electricity Enterprise
- Without fuel and pollution-free
- Not require special treatment
- Free from all treatment
- Can be used to light a variety of electrical equipment, especially for lighting the lamp, radio, cassette, TV
- Can be used for emergency lighting when electricity of State Electricity Enterprise, have extinction (power off)
- And so on
Principles of Sun Power Plant
In the daylight the solar panel receives light (rays) of the sun and then converted into electricity through the Photovoltaic. Electricity generated by solar panels can be directly channeled to burden or stored in Electric Box System (EBS), before use to load, light, radio, TV etc.
At the night, where the solar panel does not generate electricity. Electricity that has been collected (stored) in a Electric Box System (EBS) will be used. To turn on electrical equipment, especially the lighting, etc.
Components of Solar Power Plant
1. Solar Panel:
Change the sunlight into electricity. Modular form of the solar panel provides the ease of the electricity needs for various scale of the needs.
2. Electric Box System (EBS):
- Set of traffic from the solar panel to the load
- Saving electric current generated by the solar panel before used to drive the load. Burden can be a lamp, electronic device and other equipment that requires electricity
- Very flexible in placement, you can take shift about.
The Design of Solar Power Plant – The Practical and Flexible
With a flexible design that can be possible to increase the capacity of electricity with solar panels only add (maximum 2 solar panel) for each package.
Installation HOW VERY EASY
- Place solar panel outside the house (roof, roof tile, or make your own tower, etc.) directly to the sunlight adjust with the situation / place / situation you secure place
- Pull cable from solar panel, and enter plug to EBS IN DC (There are DC IN and DC OUT) Plus ON-OFF if you use (do not forget to note the ON-OFF key If you use ON if not used right OFF). For a cable if less in length you can add/connect your own. Set EBS & cable installation neat and safely out of reach of children etc.
- If solar panel at work, on the EBS have red indicator lights, when charging energy from the panel to EBS will be full, red indicator light will turn on flicker, if it is full will be off. Green indicator lights mark the flow you are working.
- In the EBS (Electric Box System) have stop contact Out AC is useful to set the electronic equipment appropriate with watt and energy saved. You can also make your own plug combination for parallel needs. (Many stop contacts that have sold in the market with 2 holes, 4 holes, 6 holes, etc.) find the high quality.
- Ready to use to set the lights, tv, radio, etc
Article You May Be Interested In Reading: Solar Fountain
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May 22, 2009
By: Admin
Category: Solar Electricity
The High Costs of Solar Electric Power
Executive Summary about Solar Electric by Klaus H Hemsath
Promotion of solar power generation is booming. Why are solar farms built when financial data clearly show that solar power is still the most expensive electricity generation technology available?
Solar power plant developers and marketers obviously know that they need to lower costs. Cost reduction is, however, expensive and takes time. There are two major technologies for solar energy conversion. Electricity production with steam is a very mature technology. The other technology is the direct, photovoltaic conversion of sunlight into electricity. This technology will most likely become the dominant solar electric power generating technology – eventually. The concentrated sunshine creates very high surface temperatures on the solar panel. To save solar panel area and make the solar panel price competitive, one must cool the surface of the solar panel very efficiently to prevent it from melting and destruction.
Present production costs for generating electricity with solar panels are hovering around $0.50 per kWh. Right now, solar power does not yet make economical sense.
None of the available technologies using renewable energy can compete with the cost of electricity generation from coal.
The technologies for generating electricity with solar power, wind power, marine power, and geothermal power are very well understood. At present, a respectable number of windmill farms and solar panel farms are being installed. Solar power does not make economical sense, yet. A random sampling of recent announcements of solar farm installations reveals that system installation costs are in the $3000 to $7500 per kW installed capacity. These plant costs loosely translate into a cost of producing electric power at $0.30 to $0.60 per kWh. This very unfavorably compares to the cost of electricity generation by any other technology.
As long as solar power constitutes only a very small fraction of overall electric power generation, the additional costs of storing intermittently produced electric power are not yet of concern. If the US is going to depend significantly on the intermittent production of electricity from solar power and wind power, it must begin to develop storage technologies for huge amounts of electric energy. Intermittent, renewable energies and electric energy storage are inseparable.
The Solar Electric Panel – An Inexpensive Way to Generate Electricity
Executive Summary about Solar Electric by Dan A Swanson
The solar electric panels, generally called solar photovoltaic panels, are made of a set of treated silicon cells arranged in a series array. They produce electricity on being exposed to the sunlight. A small solar electric panel will lessen the energy bills considerably, while a big solar panel will in fact budge the meter backwards. The contemporary solar electric panels are simple to install and are modular. The solar electric panels transform the sunlight to DC (direct current) electricity. Buy any of these solar electric panels according to your requirements.
Solar electric panels are the perfect answer to our increasing electricity bills and ever increasing reliance on depleting conventional energy resources. Make a one time investment in solar panels and generate free electricity for years to come. Solar electric panels are the need of the hour.
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