Distributed generation,also distributed energy,on-site generation (OSG),or district/decentralized energy,is electrical generation and storage performed by a variety of small,grid-connected or distribution system-connected devices referred to as distributed energy resources (DER).
Life cycle assessment (LCA),also known as life cycle analysis,is a methodology for assessing environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the life cycle of a commercial product,process,or service. For instance,in the case of a manufactured product,environmental impacts are assessed from raw material extraction and processing (cradle),through the product's manufacture,distribution and use,to the recycling or final disposal of the materials composing it (grave).
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.
In energy economics and ecological energetics,energy return on investment (EROI),also sometimes called energy returned on energy invested (ERoEI),is the ratio of the amount of usable energy delivered from a particular energy resource to the amount of exergy used to obtain that energy resource.
Environmental technology (envirotech) is the use of engineering and technological approaches to understand and address issues that affect the environment with the aim of fostering environmental improvement. It involves the application of science and technology in the process of addressing environmental challenges through environmental conservation and the mitigation of human impact to the environment.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US specializes in the research and development of renewable energy,energy efficiency,energy systems integration,and sustainable transportation. NREL is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Department of Energy and operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy,a joint venture between MRIGlobal and Battelle. Located in Golden,Colorado,NREL is home to the National Center for Photovoltaics,the National Bioenergy Center,and the National Wind Technology Center.
In the 19th century,it was observed that the sunlight striking certain materials generates detectable electric current –the photoelectric effect. This discovery laid the foundation for solar cells. Solar cells have gone on to be used in many applications. They have historically been used in situations where electrical power from the grid was unavailable.
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a stable crystalline compound formed from cadmium and tellurium. It is mainly used as the semiconducting material in cadmium telluride photovoltaics and an infrared optical window. It is usually sandwiched with cadmium sulfide to form a p–n junction solar PV cell.
A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect. It is a form of photoelectric cell,a device whose electrical characteristics vary when it is exposed to light. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic modules,known colloquially as "solar panels". Almost all commercial PV cells consist of crystalline silicon,with a market share of 95%. Cadmium telluride thin-film solar cells account for the remainder. The common single-junction silicon solar cell can produce a maximum open-circuit voltage of approximately 0.5 to 0.6 volts.
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 light. The electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct current (DC) electricity,which can be used to power various devices or be stored in batteries. Solar panels are also known as solar cell panels,solar electric panels,or PV modules.
There are several solar power plants in the Mojave Desert which supply power to the electricity grid. Insolation in the Mojave Desert is among the best available in the United States,and some significant population centers are located in the area. These plants can generally be built in a few years because solar plants are built almost entirely with modular,readily available materials. Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) is the name given to nine solar power plants in the Mojave Desert which were built in the 1980s,the first commercial solar plant. These plants have a combined capacity of 354 megawatts (MW) which made them the largest solar power installation in the world,until Ivanpah Solar Power Facility was finished in 2014.
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 power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to convert light into an electric current. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and solar tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight to a hot spot,often to drive a steam turbine.
A photovoltaic system,also called a PV system or solar power system,is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components,including solar panels to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity,a solar inverter to convert the output from direct to alternating current,as well as mounting,cabling,and other electrical accessories to set up a working system. Many utility-scale PV systems use tracking systems that follow the sun's daily path across the sky to generate more electricity than fixed-mounted systems.
Energy cannibalism refers to an effect where rapid growth of a specific energy producing industry creates a need for energy that uses the energy of existing power plants. Thus during rapid growth the industry as a whole produces no new energy because it is used to fuel the embodied energy of future power plants.
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. Cadmium telluride PV is the only thin film technology with lower costs than conventional solar cells made of crystalline silicon in multi-kilowatt systems.
Thin-film solar cells are a type of solar cell made by depositing one or more thin layers of photovoltaic material onto a substrate,such as glass,plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are typically a few nanometers (nm) to a few microns (μm) thick–much thinner than the wafers used in conventional crystalline silicon (c-Si) based solar cells,which can be up to 200 μm thick. Thin-film solar cells are commercially used in several technologies,including cadmium telluride (CdTe),copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS),and amorphous thin-film silicon.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to solar energy:
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is an institute of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Located in Freiburg,Germany,the Institute performs applied scientific and engineering research and development for all areas of solar energy. Fraunhofer ISE has three external branches in Germany which carry out work on solar cell and semiconductor material development:the Laboratory and Service Center (LSC) in Gelsenkirchen,the Technology Center of Semiconductor Materials (THM) in Freiberg,and the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics (CSP) in Halle. From 2006 to 2016 Eicke Weber was the director of Fraunhofer ISE. With over 1,100 employees,Fraunhofer ISE is the largest institute for applied solar energy research in Europe. The 2012 Operational Budget including investments was 74.3 million euro.
Renewable energy in South Africa is energy generated in South Africa from renewable resources,those that naturally replenish themselves—such as sunlight,wind,tides,waves,rain,biomass,and geothermal heat. Renewable energy focuses on four core areas:electricity generation,air and water heating/cooling,transportation,and rural energy services. The energy sector in South Africa is an important component of global energy regimes due to the country's innovation and advances in renewable energy. South Africa's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is ranked as moderate and its per capita emission rate is higher than the global average. Energy demand within the country is expected to rise steadily and double by 2025.
The introduction and rapid expansion of solar technology has brought with it a number of occupational hazards for workers responsible for panel installation. Guidelines for safe solar panel installation exist,however the injuries related to panel installation are poorly quantified.
