How Does Solar Power Work In A Nutshell

Solar power is becoming more and more popular as a means of generating electricity. It is definitely renewable, but sometimes a bit confusing. How does solar power work? It’s not really all that complicated.

There are actually two quite different systems for generating solar power. Solar photovoltaic is the most well known and the most likely to be used by consumers. We will be focusing on it. Solar thermal can actually be more cost effective for very large systems, so we will talk about it as well.

Solar photovoltaic power systems are very widely used. They operate by exposing special materials to the sun. These materials can release electrons when struck by the photons of light that have the right amount of energy, thus producing electrical current. They are quite scalable, meaning that they are practical in sizes from a few inches or less up to thousands of square feet. They are low maintenance, quiet, and non-polluting in operation.

A negative aspect of solar photovoltaic systems is that they are relatively expensive to purchase. The cost per watt of generating capacity is one of the highest among all the practical methods of generating electricity. Their cost has been declining rapidly for many years. We can anticipate that in the future they will be more economically competitive. Today they are quite practical in cases where the electrical grid is not accessible and where the cost to transport fuel is high.

If you are considering a solar photovoltaic system, the amount of space required may be an issue. Since current systems don’t use very much of the total solar energy available, they require significant amounts of space. If your available space is limited, solar photovoltaic may not be a good choice. As they become more efficient in the future, this will be less of a problem.

Solar thermal systems use the energy of sunlight to boil water. The water then drives a steam turbine which powers a generator that creates electricity. In most systems mirrors will be used to concentrate the sun. In some cases the working fluid that is heated by the sun can be stored and used later. Thus some solar thermal systems can actually generate electricity when the sun is not shining. Unfortunately, it is difficult to scale solar thermal systems down very much, so they are more appropriate for utility power systems rather than small community or individual household usage.

Those are the two main options for solar power. Solar photovoltaic is the best choice for either small systems, though it may well not be cost effective. Solar thermal can be a very interesting option for generating utility electricity in large amounts.

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