Ways to Generate Solar Electricity

How would you like free and green electricity ?

By using solar panels it is possible to have free and green electricity from the sun.

There are two ways to generate electricity from the sun :

1. Solar thermal.
2. Photovoltaic.

Solar thermal :

This method of producing electricity from solar energy is used more on an industrial scale. Banks of mirrors are used to concentrate the heat from the sun. The heat is then focused and collected. The resulting high temperatures are used to heat water to create steam. The steam is then used in a conventional way to power large turbines that will produce the electricity that is connected to the national grid or utility supply.

Photovoltaic :

This method is more suited to the domestic electricity generation environment. Photovoltaic solar panels or PV's work in the following way :

• Sunlight falls on the area of the PV.
• The sunlight excites loose electrons creating an imbalance of electrons.
• This imbalance causes an electron flow in the PV.
• This electron flow results in the production of electricity at the output of the PV.

Photovoltaic solar panels are usually constructed in arrays that is to say multiple panels usually situated side by side and connected together to effectively form one large sun collecting area. Commonly, panels are usually in a fixed position and orientated in such away that they collect as much sunlight in the day as possible. In the northern hemisphere the panels face a southerly direction and in the southern hemisphere they face a northerly direction.

There are instances, mainly in industrial scale photovoltaic arrays where the panels track the sun's movement thus collecting more of the days sunshine. The panels are mounted onto a frame, forming an array this in turn is mounted to the tracking motors, this assembly is then mounted onto a ground fixed post.

It is not the sun's heat we are aiming to collect but the sun's intensity. Even areas that are know for wet climates such as the United Kingdom, can benefit from photovoltaic electricity production.

One advantage of using solar panels to generate electricity in a domestic environment is that you can start small and build on the system as time and money allows. For example, you could start with one or preferably two solar panels. These when used together will provide you with a small amount of free electricity to power some lighting or other low power items such as your television. To make the solar electricity generating system a viable alternative to being connected to the national grid you would need several panels working in unison.

Other things to consider are deep cycle batteries to store the electricity for power when there is no sun such as at night or when it is really cloudy. You will need an inverter, this converts the DC or direct current produced by a photovoltaic cell into an AC or alternating current required for your domestic supply. Regulating and protection circuits will also be a requirement even in the smallest of installations.

Build solar panels
Build solar panels