Currently available Solar panels

Currently available Solar panels

Introduction

One of the substitutes available for the power sources in United States is marked as solar power. In this process, heat and electricity is produced by utilizing the energy available from the sun. United States Energy Information Administration provided with a fact that despite the great proportional use of renewable power sources, the energy taken from solar panels sources was less than 0.1% of the total utilized energy. Heinrich Hertz in the year 1887 introduced the discovered the concept of solar cells (Gevorkian, 2007). In the present scenario, different types of solar power is used that can be used either for the purpose of heating process or the production of the electrical energy. RVs and mobile gadgets are even provided power with the help of various solar energy panels. This essay is written with an objective to compare and contrast the various forms of solar panels that are currently available.

Discussion

Solar panels harness the energy of sun with the help of photovoltaic panels. These panels have an ability to absorb sunlight and lead to the production of an electric current that can easily be harnessed by the human beings and can easily utilize in their everyday routine. The solar panels are composed of different components; most of them use the source of raw material taken from the earth. The classification of solar panels is based on the component that is being used in its production. Solar power does not exist in vacuum and at the time an analysis is made regarding the materials used in the production of a photovoltaic cell, the real life associated costs and benefits are taken into consideration. The solar cell is usually composed of the element known as silicon.

As far as the classification of solar panels is concerned, these panels can be classified into three main categories on the basis of the different technology used in their manufacturing. These three types include: a) Mono crystalline cells, b) Polycrystalline cells, c) Amorphous/thin film panels (Collins, et al., 2003). All these panels have used the element of silicon in their production. It marks the point of similarity in all the panels. A brief detail of each of the panel is provided in the following headings

Panels using the Mono crystalline cells technology

Mono crystalline solar cells usually have a black color. These panels are an approved technology that has been used all over the globe for a period of more than fifty years. These cells are made from the thin slice being obtained from the material known as silicon. The cells are then fixed and the set of wires will be printed on the surface or inside the cell. These types of panels are marked with a characteristic of higher efficiency, but also involve a higher cost. The energy taken by these cells for their production is usually higher as compared to all other types of solar panels, and thus is marked with a great energy payback period usually within a period of five ...