Everything about making your home eco-friendly!
Solar panels are large panels that absorb the sun’s energy and convert it to usable energy for buildings and homes.
“The [s]olar panels use light energy (photons) from the sun to generate electricity through the photovoltaic effect (this is the photo-electric effect). The structural (load carrying) member of a module can either be the top layer (superstrate) or the back layer (substrate). The majority of modules use water-based crystalline silicon cells or a thin-film cell based on cadmium telluride or silicon. Crystalline silicon, which is commonly used in the water form in photovoltaic (PV) modules, is derived from silicon, a commonly used semi-conductor.”
The elements used to create solar panels are not considered green because they are not reused items and they are not recyclable. They are also very expensive to install because the silicon in crystal form takes a long time to grow. Also, forming these crystals is expensive because it is difficult to grow flawless, usable crystals. The crystals have to be flawless in order to work, and they have to be big enough to use, so it becomes a long, difficult, and expensive process. There are also solar panels that use thin film rather than crystalline to catch the sun’s rays. The thin film panels can be either rigid or flexible, and are made of amorphous silicone cells which are not as efficient as the crystalline cells.
Just like most things in life, there are both pros and cons of solar energy. Some of the advantages of solar energy is the idea of conserving our natural resources and non-renewable energy. If we could utilize the amount of solar energy that the earth absorbs in even just one year we would be able to have more power than all the natural resources of the world combines would produce all together! We could also prevent emissions that enter the earth’s atmosphere by using solar power versus fossil fuels.
Some other solar energy advantages are the long term cost. If all the energy used by a household came from the sun’s rays the average home could save between $750 and $3000 dollars per year. Also, if we converted all gas cars to electric vehicles we could not only decrease the gas emissions but we could save our money because we would not need to purchase gasoline.
As we go through the advantages and disadvantages of solar power one of the major problems we are faced with the use of panels is the environmental issues tied to constructing them. They are not eco-friendly to produce because the elements used to make them are not sustainable. This means that they are not reusable when the panel runs its course, so they become waste rather than recyclable panels.
Solar panels do not last forever, either. They are considered a battery, and they are not rechargable. The film panels do not last as long as the crystalline panels, and their warranties expire between two to five years. The crystalline ones last much longer; they can last about “twenty years to a lifetime” which is much longer than the panels made of thin film. The reason they do not last is because the sun’s rays slowly degrade the quality and functionality of the film or crystalline cells.
Another problem with the solar panels is they are not aesthetically pleasing. This may not be a strong problem for someone who avidly wants to utilize solar power, but they do stand out. They are usually large, reflective, rectangular sheets that are placed on the roof of a home or building. They do not compliment very many architectural designs because they are visually quite loud, especially when the sun is bright.
A final problem with the panels is that during overcast, dark days they do not work as well as when they day is bright and sunny. The film panels work better under cloudy days than the crystalline ones.
“It is to be noted, however, that the power output of a solar panel is proportional to the amount of light that reaches its surface. If you are only getting about half the amount of light that you would be getting under full midday sun, you should expect your panel to produce about half the amount of power. For example, a solar panel can generate from 50- 70% of maximum output under a bright overcast day, but only 10-20% under a dark overcast.”
- http://www.boatus.com/boattech/SolarPanels.htm
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Categories: Solar Panels