The First Solar Cells | Copying nature
Nature has used solar energy to power the earth since the beginning of times. But nature has different uses for this energy and stores it as chemical energy. As early as the 3rd century BC, humans were using concentrated sunlight to ignite torches using burning mirrors. In the present age, humans need electrical energy to power their appliances and homes – creating the demand for the solar home.
The solar industry is over 120 years old. However, from the 1970’s onward, the work of Elliot Berman was instrumental in reducing the price of solar, improving efficiency and creating the foundations for solar homes. He achieved this by redesigning and optimizing the manufacturing process of solar panels.
With the steady decline in the cost of manufacturing panels and significant improvements in the efficiency of panels, more and more industries became open to the use of solar panels instead of batteries. By 2008 solar panels cost $4/Watt and the cell efficiency was around 19% for the best panel company, making solar homes a viable option.
Solar Technology Today | Center stage solar homes
Solar technology today stands at the center stage of history. The technology deployed today is a mature technology, which when combined with an energy efficient design for the solar home can deliver affordable, environmentally safe and long lasting solution to humankind’s energy needs that are threatened by the depletion of oil sources. Keeping in view the potential that solar panels offer for the solar home, almost all the developed nations of the world have started working to create policies and incentives to create consumer-side demand for solar homes to strengthen their local solar industries.
How Do Solar Homes Work?| Inside the magic box
Although many different technologies drive solar panels, the basic concept behind them is the same. A basic solar cell consists of two layers of silicon separated by a small gap. In this solar cell, the upper layer has free electrons while the lower layer can accept free electron. When the sunlight hits the upper layer, it excites and energizes the electrons and allows them to jump over the gap, creating an electric current. This electric current is led from the lower layer through wiring to appliances in the solar home that require electricity. Once used up, the electric current is directed back to the upper layer thus completing the circuit. Multiple cells are configured and used together to create a panel.
