(Redirected from Photovoltaic)
A solar cell is a device that uses the photoelectric effect to generate electricity from light. Solar cells are used to power many kinds of equipment, including satellites, calculators, remote radiotelephones, and advertising signs. They are generally linked into solar panels.
| Table of contents |
Solar panels come in four varieties. Most common are rigid monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon sheets. Monocrystalline silicon provides the highest efficiency of all four types but is also the most expensive. Polycrystalline silicon is lower cost but lower in efficiency. Also available are amorphous silicon solar cells which can be applied to a variety of substrates including flexible ones, like metal foil or plastic foil. The main advantage of amorphous silicon solar cells is that they should eventually be able to be processed at a much lower cost than crystalline solar cells. Nanocrystalline silicon has also been used, in the same processing systems as for amorhpous silicon, and it shows slightly higher efficiency due to the increased absorption in the longer wavelengths. Experimental non-silicon solar panels are made of carbon nanotubes embedded in plastic. These have only one-tenth the efficiency of silicon panels but could be manufactured in ordinary factories, not clean rooms which should lower the cost.
If a roof is required for other reasons, and the solar cells are chosen and fabricated to form a weather-resistant roof, the value of the roof reduces solar costs considerably. A well-designed solar cell roof will simply be constructed at the optimal angle to collect power. This saves the cost of mounting brackets to raise the cells to an optimal angle, saving quite a bit of money. Solar panel shingles which replace ordinary shingles have recently become available.
The least expensive way to buy a solar power system for a home or small business is as part of a cooperative. Periodically, a group will form on the internet to purchase solar equipment cooperatively.
See also solar power, autonomous building, renewable energy.
 Linda Goodman's Sun Signs |
 Robin MacNaughton's Sun Sign Personality Guide : A Complete Love and Compatibility Guide for Every Sign in the Zodiac |
 Llewellyn's 2004 Sun Sign Book: Horoscopes for Everyone (Llewellyn's Sun Sign Book) |
 Black Sun Signs: An African-American Guide to the Zodiac | ||||
 Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk, New Edition |
 Treasure Signs, Symbols, Shadow and Sun Signs |
 Soul Signs : Harness the Power of Your Sun Sign and Become the Person You Were Meant to Be |
 A Raisin in the Sun and The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window | ||||
 Zodiac Spells: Easy Enchantments and Simple Spells for Your Sun Sign |
