How solar energy works
The massive consciousness regarding the pollution that is taking over the globe today has made experts to come up with the exploitation of energy sources that are alternative, non polluting and renewable. The dagger of over-exploitation and exhaustion also hangs the same over the nonrenewable sources of energy. The alternative renewable sources of energy include wind energy, hydro energy, and gravitational energy and so on, with solar energy clearly taking an upper hand over any of these. Sun is an unending source of heat and light and it owes to the same fact that solar energy if harnessed to serve our daily needs, can eradicate energy deficiency from the face of the world.
The basic principle behind solar energy is trapping sun’s radiation to the earth’s atmosphere to generate other forms of energy, such as heat, light and electricity, which otherwise would have been lost to the space. The sun is a chemical ball that yields enormous amounts of heat and radiates it is all directions. They reach the earth’s surface and a portion of the energy is absorbed by the atmosphere, the remaining being reflected back to the space. Now this part of energy that is being absorbed by the earth’s atmosphere in the form of heat and light drives every activity on the planet.
The photovoltaic cells, which are the basis of solar energy generation, capture the sun’s radiation into earth and transform it into electricity, direct current format, and passes on. The photovoltaic cells also store the electricity thus produced for later consumption, say, when the sun is down. The photovoltaic cells join to a given weather station, which informs one about the weather condition prevalent at a particular place at a given time. The data is open for later collection. The weather station is generally connected to a DC disconnection switch that allows one to cut off the power supply for maintenance purposes and enabling working conditions.
One of the most crucial parts in the system is the inverter, which converts the direct DC current stream into alternating AC current stream, making it ready for consumption by normal electrically powered gadgets and machines. The inverter then passes on the stream of electric current on to a transformer, which steps down or step up the voltage of the power thus generated and makes it available for usage. The current of electricity then flows through an AC disconnection switch, which provisions cutting the flow of electricity for maintenance purposes and enabling working conditions.
The flow of current passes through a few other devices, of which the electric meter occupies the first place. The device keeps a track of the electricity produced from the photovoltaic cells and measures it for supervision, distribution and data-keeping purposes. The data acquisition meter, the next in line, collects information from the weather station and couples it up with the electric meter reading. This passes the electrical distribution panel, which distributes the electricity thus produced to each subscriber in the line.
The link is concluded by contended subscribers of this alternate source of energy, finally manifesting itself as a safer world to live in. |
