solar panels wikipedia free encyclopedia

Rooftop solar power

A rooftop solar power system, or rooftop PV system, is a photovoltaic (PV) system that has its electricity -generating solar panels mounted on the rooftop of a residential or commercial building or structure. [1] The various components of such a system include photovoltaic modules, mounting systems, cables, solar inverters and other electrical ...

Solar car

Solar cars (or solar vehicles) are a special type of electric vehicle that only get their power from the sun. They use solar cells on the surface of the car to produce electricity and the electricity makes a motor turn, and that turns the wheels. They are not useful for normal driving, but once built, they can drive all day and not make any ...

Sakaka solar plant

Sakaka solar plant. The Sakaka solar plant Project is a 300-megawatt solar photovoltaic farm that was developed at a site of 6 square kilometres near Sakaka in the Al-Jawf region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is developed and managed by Sakaka Solar Company (SSEC). the plant is a joint venture between AquaPower 70% and SSEC at 30%.

Solar power plant

A solar power plant is based on the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP). Concentrated solar power systems use lenses, mirrors, and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaics converts light into electric ...

Canal Solar Power Project

The Canal Solar Power Project is a solar canal project launched in Gujarat, India, to use the 532 km (331 mi) long network of Narmada canals across the state for setting up solar panels to generate electricity. [1] It was the first ever such project in India. This project has been commissioned by SunEdison India. [2]

Photovoltaics

Photovoltaics (PVs) are arrays of cells containing a solar photovoltaic material that converts solar radiation or energy from the sun into direct current electricity. Due to the growing …

Polycrystalline silicon

Polycrystalline silicon (or semi-crystalline silicon, polysilicon, poly-Si, or simply "poly") is a material consisting of multiple small silicon crystals. Polycrystalline cells can be recognized by a visible grain, a "metal flake …

Growth of photovoltaics

In 2022, the total global photovoltaic capacity increased by 228 GW, with a 24% growth year-on-year of new installations. As a result, the total global capacity exceeded 1,185 GW by the end of the year. [8] Asia was the biggest installer of solar in 2022, with 60% of new capacity and 60% of total capacity. China alone amounted to over 40% of ...

Community solar

Community solar. A community solar project, farm or garden is a solar power installation that accepts capital from and provides output credit and tax benefits to multiple customers, including individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and other investors. Participants typically invest in or subscribe to a certain kW capacity or kWh generation of ...

Photovoltaics

Solar panels on the International Space Station. Photovoltaics ( PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially used for electricity generation and as photosensors .

Solar panel

A solar panel, or solar module, is one component of a photovoltaic system. They are constructed out of a series of photovoltaic cells arranged into a panel. They come in a variety of rectangular shapes and are installed in combination to generate electricity. [2] Solar panels, sometimes also called photovoltaics collect energy from the Sun in ...

Solar energy

OverviewPotentialThermal energyConcentrated solar powerArchitecture and urban planningAgriculture and horticultureTransportFuel production

Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essential source of renewable energy, and its technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on how they capture and distribute sol…

Solar eclipse

Solar (and lunar) eclipses therefore happen only during eclipse seasons, resulting in at least two, and up to five, solar eclipses each year, no more than two of which can be total. [2] [3] Total eclipses are rarer because they require a more precise alignment between the centers of the Sun and Moon, and because the Moon''s apparent size in the sky is sometimes …

Sustainable architecture

Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings through improved efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, development space and the ecosystem at large. Sustainable architecture uses a conscious approach to energy and ecological conservation in the design of the ...

Solar-powered aircraft

Usage Solar-powered aircraft do not require fuel, so they don''t require oxygen, and they are able to operate at altitudes over 20 kilometres (12 mi) to 100 kilometres (62 mi) for months at a time. Conventional passenger or cargo aircraft usages aren''t practical yet with modern technology, but high-altitude platform stations and long-endurance missions over a fixed …

Solar power

Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar …

Solar power in Spain

Solar power in Spain. Spain is the fourth largest manufacturer in the world of solar power technology and exports 80 percent of this output to Germany. [1] Spain is one of the most attractive countries with regard to the development of solar energy, as it has the greatest amount of available sunshine of any country in Europe .

Solar cell

Solar cells are semiconductor devices that convert light to electricity. They have many applications. They have long been used in situations where electrical power from the grid is unavailable, such as in remote area power systems, Earth -orbiting satellites and space probes, consumer systems, e.g. handheld calculators or wrist watches, remote ...

Photovoltaics

Usually solar panels are exposed to sunlight for longer than this in a given day, but the solar irradiance is less than 1000 W/m 2 for most of the day. A solar panel can produce more when the Sun is high in Earth''s sky and …

Solar sail

A solar sail (or light sails or photon sails) is a proposed method of spacecraft propulsion using radiation pressure exerted by sunlight. The word ''sail'' is by analogy with boats which use a sail to use wind to move. The concept was first proposed in the 17th century by Johannes Kepler. He had a theory that sails could be adapted to "heavenly ...

Solar cell

It is a form of photoelectric cell, a device whose electrical characteristics (such as current, voltage, or resistance) vary when it is exposed to light. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of …

Solar panel

A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to …

Solar panels

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Redirect page Redirect to: Solar panel This page is a redirect. The following categories are used to track and monitor this redirect: From the plural form: This is a redirect from a plural noun to its singular form.

Cadmium telluride photovoltaics

Cadmium telluride photovoltaics. Cadmium telluride ( CdTe) photovoltaics is a photovoltaic (PV) technology based on the use of cadmium telluride in a thin semiconductor layer designed to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity. [1] Cadmium telluride PV is the only thin film technology with lower costs than conventional solar cells made of ...

Solar-cell efficiency

Solar-cell efficiency is the portion of energy in the form of sunlight that can be converted via photovoltaics into electricity by the solar cell . The efficiency of the solar cells used in a photovoltaic system, in combination with latitude and climate, determines the annual energy output of the system. For example, a solar panel with 20% ...

Solar power at the White House

What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Download QR code Wikidata item Solar panels being installed on the White House roof, 2014 The use of solar power at the White House was first introduced in 1979. was first introduced in 1979.

Solar-Powered Aircraft Developments Solar One

One. The Solar-Powered Aircraft Developments Solar One is a British mid-wing, experimental, manned solar-powered aircraft that was designed by David Williams and produced by Solar-Powered Aircraft Developments under the direction of Freddie To. On 13 June 1979 it became one of the first solar-powered aircraft to fly, after the unmanned ...

Roll Out Solar Array

The Roll Out Solar Array (ROSA) and its larger version ISS Roll Out Solar Array (iROSA) are lightweight, flexible power sources for spacecraft designed and developed by Redwire. [1] This new type of solar array provides much more energy than traditional solar arrays at much less mass. [2] Traditional solar panels used to power satellites are ...

Tesla, Inc.

The Model X is a mid-sized, all-electric, luxury, crossover utility vehicle (CUV) made by Tesla, Inc. that uses falcon wing doors for access to the second and third row seats. The prototype was unveiled at Tesla''s design studios in Hawthorne on February 9, 2012. The Model X has an official EPA rated 237–295 miles (381–475 kilometres) range ...

Thermodynamic solar panel

Thermodynamic solar panel. A thermodynamic solar panel is a type of air source heat pump. Instead of a large fan to take energy from the air, it has a flat plate collector. This means the system gains energy from the sun as well as the ambient air. [1] Thermodynamic water heaters use a compressor to transfer the collected heat from the panel to ...

Building-integrated photovoltaics

Building-integrated photovoltaics ( BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or façades. [1] They are increasingly being incorporated into the construction of new buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power ...

Solar Panels for Homes | Encyclopedia

Solar panels generate electricity by capturing particles of light, known as photons, which in turn free electrons from atoms, creating energy. In order for these photovoltaic cells to function properly, an electric field must be created, by separating the positive and negative charges. These charges can be manufactured through the use of ...

Solar panel

Solar panels get energy from the sun for people to use. There are two types of solar panels, those that collect heat (thermal), and those that produce electricity ( photovoltaic …

Solar energy

Solar energy is a type of energy that comes from the sun''s heat. People have been using solar energy for thousands of years in different ways, such as heating, cooking, and …