Solar+power

Solar Power Solar energy is produced when a photon from the sun makes contact with a photovoltaic solar module. When this contact is made there is a photon electron conversion made in which an electron is forced out of the module. This process is continued until the photons no longer come in contact with the photovoltaic module. In general the solar module produces electricity when the sun hits the solar panel. When the sun goes down the process will then cease. ** Trends in the Market ** Solar power technology has been around since the early 1970’s. This technology existed with simple design such as a solar powered water heater. In the 1980’s however this alternative technology lost most of its popularity and became stagnant. In the 1990’s Japan stepped up and decided they wanted to capitalize on this market. They came up with several ideas to bring the cost per module down. They started subsidizing the cost so the consumer could afford to purchase their modules. This brings us up until now where there are many different companies emerging in the solar field. ** Growth of the market ** Throughout the last several years there has been a large increase in the availability of solar modules both residentially and commercially. It is expected that in the next 4 to 6 years solar power will be competing with the tradition power grid. The popularity is expected to continue to increase tremendously in the coming years especially with the cost continually decreasing and the efficiency per modules increases. ** Different technologies ** There are several different types of solar technology. 1) Crystalline silicon  2) Thin films 3) Concentrated Photovoltaic Modules   __Crystalline silicon __ is the cheapest modules. This technology has been around for many years and has a baseline data on life expectancy, durability, and performance. These modules have about 35 years of data that can provide extensive amounts of data.     __Thin Films**-** __ Thin films are a relatively new technology emerging. These modules typically cost much more than the crystalline silicon. These modules have only been on the market for about 8 years. Although these modules have a great track record so far, because they have only been around for 8 years researcher do not know the true life expectancy of this technology. __Concentrated Photovoltaic Modules __ concentrated Photovoltaic modules or (CPV) require a lot more assistance and installation than either the crystalline silicon or thin films. CPV works by taking the power of the sun and magnifying it through a lens and concentrating a large amount of solar power onto a small amount of photovoltaic silicon. CPV requires a two axis tracker that is designed to follow the movement of the sun across the sky. These modules produce the most power over the 3 different types. However the CPV requires exact location on the sun or else the lens that concentrates the solar power can be focused on another location other than the silicon causing excess heat or even a fire in the module. CPV’s are very efficient but only on a two axis tracker without any clouds in the sky. If there are clouds the power is dropped drastically. **Efficiency ** Efficiency in a solar module is extremely important. For many years the efficiency has only been around 8-9%. This is a large reason why the solar industry has not been very popular until recently. Currently in the market today there are solar modules that have an efficiency rating of 16%. In the coming year there will be modules released that has an increased efficiency of 23%. **Solar implantation in the market today ** There are three sectors were the solar market is being implemented Grid type sector 1) Residential  2) Commercial <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; text-align: left;"> These two sectors are fairly self-explanatory. They are installed onto either a residential or commercial building where it will produce electricity for those buildings. They are also connected to the power grid. This will enable the solar array to produce power for both the building and also supply the power grid with any excess power that the building may not use. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; text-align: left;"> Standalone sector <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; text-align: left;">The third type is a standalone system which is not connected to the power grid at all and is the sole power supplier for that unit. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; text-align: left;">Below is a link to my video describing how solar energy is created and marketed in the world today. http://youtu.be/QomQ531ThmI