What is Solar: Definition and 1000 Discussions

Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and solar tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic effect.Photovoltaics were initially solely used as a source of electricity for small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to remote homes powered by an off-grid rooftop PV system. Commercial concentrated solar power plants were first developed in the 1980s. As the cost of solar electricity has fallen, the number of grid-connected solar PV systems has grown into the millions and gigawatt-scale photovoltaic power stations are being built. Solar PV is rapidly becoming an inexpensive, low-carbon technology to harness renewable energy from the Sun. The current largest photovoltaic power station in the world is the Pavagada Solar Park, Karnataka, India with a generation capacity of 2050 MW.The International Energy Agency projected in 2014 that under its "high renewables" scenario, by 2050, solar photovoltaics and concentrated solar power would contribute about 16 and 11 percent, respectively, of worldwide electricity consumption, and solar would be the world's largest source of electricity. Most solar installations would be in China and India. In 2019, solar power generated 2.7% of the world's electricity, growing over 24% from the previous year. As of October 2020, the unsubsidised levelised cost of electricity for utility-scale solar power is around $36/MWh.

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. S

    Why are solar systems or galaxies flat?

    Why are solar systems and galaxies flat? I find it peculiar that astronomical clusters (ie: solar systems and galaxies) are arranged in a flat plane. Can someone explain why? I understand that: any solar system originates from a random cloud of dust and gas. This cloud will feel its mutual...
  2. C

    How much energy is in the solar wind plus

    I have wondered lately about the amount of energy which interacts with the Earth's magnetic field. Further, to the extent not converted to light as with the auroras, what happens to it in the interaction? If the energy is significant, is it in any way absorbed, transferred or otherwise lead to...
  3. Z

    Proof that our solar system will leave the milky way.

    Let us assume Ho = 71 1 / s In order for our solar system to stay in orbit around the milky way, the escape velocity must be greater than the recessional. Resc > Rrec (2GM / R)^1/2 > HoR Now let's refer to Kepler's third law to substitute in for the mass. T^2 = 4π^2R^3 / GM M = 4π^2R^3 /...
  4. J

    Radiation Pressure and Solar Sail

    Consider a spacecraft attached to a sheet of material, a "sail," that absorbs sunlight. Assume that the sail is positioned to face the Sun and that the combined mass of the spacecraft and the sail is m. How large does the area of the sail have to be to propel the spacecraft away from the...
  5. T

    Equating solar power to usable heat

    I am hoping to find how to determine the heat available from focused and concentrated sunlight. I am not confident in my math skills or understanding of some terms, so will describe what I want to do and how I expect to accomplish it. I mostly need an overview and some specific details or...
  6. T

    Help Needed for Solar Panel Project

    need help please hi all i need hulp on my project Im a senior electronic engineer student . my project is about heliostat skylight which use a mirror to reflect sun light to spacefic target. I'm going to use 8051 microcontroller to interface btween inputs which they are 4...
  7. P

    Harnessing Solar Energy with Fresnel Lenses

    i am about to do a project on harnessing solar energy using fresnel lens. However, i do not understand how a fresnel lens works. Could someone please clarify how it works (how can it converge light despite having a flat face) and why does it have more converging ability than other lenses?
  8. A

    Stargazing Can we see the solar eclipse after 600 million years?

    would we be able to see a total solar eclipse after about 600 million years from now?
  9. P

    Making a Fresnel Lens for Solar Water Purification

    i want to do a project on solar water purification. I just saw a video on purifying water using fresnel lens. However, i haven't found any information on how one can make a fresnel lens suited to the purpose. So, how does one make a fresnel lens?
  10. H

    Solar radiation, mars, earths and equations help please?

    Homework Statement Earth and Mars are both rocky planets, but Mars is half as far away again from the Sun as Earth, so radiation from the Sun is not as powerful at the surface of Mars as at the Earth’s surface. Using the values in Table 2, calculate the amount of solar radiation...
  11. F

    Heat Transfer solar collector system Problem

    I am planning a solar collector system for domestic hot water and heating. I am attempting to calculate the heat loss in a storage tank. If we assume: Tank Volume = 1m^3 Tank Surface Area = 6m^2 Tank Contents = 1000L water Initial Water Temp = 90C (194F) The Temp Outside the Tank = 10C...
  12. T

    Was Kepler the First to Measure the Distances from Earth to All Known Planets?

    Can we say that Kepler in the early 17th century was the first person to know the distance from the Earth to all the known planets? One of his laws:The square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the radius(actually the semi-major axis). So he new Saturn was about 900 million...
  13. C

    Most Recent Guide to making Solar cells?

    Hello my friends, first I want to thank all of those who take their time to helping people like us. I have a question and is what is the most recent guide on making a very powerful Solar Cell, I am very interested in it, and the reason why I want to know this is for making more devices to cut...
  14. M

    Calculating combinations and permutations on a TI-36 Solar Calculator?

    My mom has a Texas Instruments TI-36 Solar calculator. A few days ago I found that there are functions for calculating combinations and permutations. The trouble is I can't seem to figure out how to use them.
  15. I

    Interior temperature of a solar collector

    Homework Statement A solar collector has an effective collecting area of 12 m^2. The collector is thermally insulated, and so conduction is negligible in comparison with radiation. On a cold but sunny winter's day the temperature outside is -20.0 C, and the Sun irradiates the collector with...
  16. T

    Using a solar cell as a qualitative test of laser intensity

    so I am testing out different designs on a nitrogen laser, and wanted a quick way to test whether or not one design had a more intense output than the other. without having to buy a sensor, my idea was to direct the beam onto a solar cell, then measure the output current. higher current wud mean...
  17. S

    How long does it take to heat up a material? Solar Energy.

    I was wondering how long it takes to heat up materials. And how long will they hold their energy? Say for like thermal energy storage, how long does it take to heat up molten salts or other substances with sunlight? I guess I could just use Q=mcT and divide by time and then solve for time...
  18. frazelle09

    Solar trough water heater motor linkage

    We are trying to build a solar water heater using a 4' x 10' trough design and are still trying to figure out how to rotate the trough so that it follows the daily sun East-West. We have a 12 volt car window motor and someone else has suggested we use a simple, 3.6 volt electric screwdriver...
  19. J

    Stargazing Witness a Rare Celestial Event: Total Solar and Lunar Eclipses

    Those of you living on the moon will see a rare sight tonight, a total solar eclipse. Not coincidentally, the entire US, and very little where else will see a total lunar eclipse. This will be one to tell your grandchildren about since there won't be another until June 15, 2011. Don't look...
  20. T

    Exploring the Effects of Cooling and Slowing Down Solar Particles

    Good day All, Just a quick question: The sun emits charge particles, very hot moving very fast, right? (stop if my knowledge is incorrect :smile:) What will happen if one can cool down and / or slow down said particles? TX
  21. M

    Courses Upper-level course decision: Solar converters vs. space physics

    I am a 4th year Phy UG on a 5 yr plan and need some advice, these two courses overlap so I can't take both. I am interested in both topics but have more background in astrophysics, not much in the engineering area. I guess my indecision stems from a larger crisis I am having in trying to...
  22. I

    If I know the Solar Hour Angle at sunrise, can I calculate twilight by simply -

    At time T(sunrise) the SHA = -81.361029147899785, which makes frac. hours to noon (SHA / 15.0). Is calculating the time of astronomical twilight to noon as simple as (SHA - 18) / 15.0?
  23. M

    How Do W/m² and kg·s⁻³ Compare in Physics Units?

    Homework Statement trying to show that the units W m-2 are equivalent to kg s-3 Homework Equations 1 W = 1 J s-1 ? The Attempt at a Solution energy per unit time? p.s. I am very new to physics, a beginner in understanding the whole concept of units, any advice?
  24. S

    Solving Sun-Earth-Moon Orbit Problem with Solar System Simulator

    Hi, I am trying to create a program (3D simulator) that reproduces the Solar system's behaviour. In this idea, I am using Newton's first and second laws: F = G * m1 * m2 / ( r * r) a = F / m I already managed to create a stable system containing the Sun, Earth, Jupiter and other...
  25. S

    Solar wind interfering with satellite communications

    Hello. I was wondering about something the last few weeks and that is if the solar wind can affect communication systems between satellites. I am not referring to the physical damage that the solar wind might produce to the satellite, but the interference it might have on the radio signal that...
  26. S

    Maximizing Savings with Solar and Wind Power Generation

    Greetings, I'm seeing programs that allow solar, wind and other types of power generation to be connected to your house (or business) and you are still connected to your grid. The power company meters both - what they provide to you and what your private generation provides. Your power...
  27. N

    Relationship between voltage and distance between light bulb and solar cell

    School experiment: Shine lamp at a solar cell, and measure the voltage using a multimeter. Independent variable is the distance between the light bulb and solar cell, dependent variable is the voltage. What is the relationship between the two? And how exactly do I prove it? What I have...
  28. marcus

    New figure for speed of solar system relative to the ancient light

    I just noticed an item in Ned Wright's "News of the Universe" about a new determination of the solar system's speed. It is roughly what we've been saying, around 370 km/s in the direction of constellation Leo, but this paper determines it with increased precision...
  29. J

    Location of Solar System object

    Hi, I am a non physicist/astronomer and having a little difficulty navigating definitions. Apologies if the question has already been covered elsewhere. If I calculate the RA/ Dec of say, the sun, on a certain date and time, how do I find the lat/long of the point on the Earth's surface...
  30. H

    Galaxy Solar System: Giant Solar Systems Explained

    Why don't galaxies for giant "solar systems"?
  31. I

    Escaping the solar system from Earth's orbit

    Homework Statement (a) What is the minimum speed, relative to the Sun, necessary for a spacecraft to escape the solar system if it starts at the Earth's orbit? Homework Equations Kinetic Energy=Potential Energy 0.5mv^2=rGM/(r^2) 0.5v^2=GM/r Where M is the mass of the sun, and r is the...
  32. Z

    Solar panel charging a 12volt battery

    what will be the difference if the solar panel will be directly connected to the 12 volt battery or the solar panel is connected to a switching regulator before connected to the battery..which is faster to charge?..and what will be the difference in terms of power transfer?
  33. Z

    MPPT analysis in parallel and series configration with similar solar modules

    hello! Hope you all will be at quiet ease. I am looking for the guidance to observe the performance analysis of MPPT (Maximum power point Tracker) in parallel and series configuration with similar solar modules. I have two solar modules each having the following rating: - Maximum power...
  34. jaketodd

    Our solar system's proximity to other ones

    Is our solar system either closer to or farther from other solar systems in our galaxy compared with the average distance of one solar system to another? Thanks, Jake
  35. P

    Solar Powered Heater - Is it possible?

    Hi..I joined this forum a couple of days ago and I find that this is the best place for newb like me to share and seek some ideas. I have a question to ask and I don't know if this had been asked before. Would it be possible to heat water to its boiling point by solar? The idea is to...
  36. G

    Modeling Solar Heat Transfer in Storage Tank: Tips & Equations

    We have a model where we are to predict the temperature of the water outlet stream of a storage tank. Basically we have a solar heating collector that heats up a fluid which is present in a storage tank. The flow process is that the fluid flows through the pipes to the solar collector and back...
  37. N

    Which Device is Best for Converting Solar Heat to Electricity?

    how can i obtain a thermophotovoltaic device to convert solar heat from a parabolic reflector to electricity? or is there any other better device that can convert heat directly to electricity?
  38. P

    Efficiency of solar panels: Earth vs Space

    First of all, if this should have went in the Engineering section, I'm sorry... I wasn't sure where to write this post. If a solar panel on Earth's surface can gather say 100W/m^2 in full sunlight, how much would the same solar panel be able to gather in space, outside of Earth's atmosphere...
  39. S

    Solar array design for solar car

    hello, our team has a solar car project, and i am in charge of the solar array system. Now we have an average silicon solar cell of Voc 0.6 V and Isc 6 A, thus 3.5 W of power. We are given 6 sq. meter of area to cover with solar cells. This corresponds to around 2300 standard sized solar...
  40. C

    Black Hole in the Solar System

    If a black hole is approaching towards our solar system, at what point could it be detected and is there anything we could do to avoid catastrophe? Would it make more sense to attempt to move the Earth in such a situation?
  41. marcus

    Does this rule out cosmic natural selection? (1.97 solar neutron star)

    A letter in the current issue of Nature: ==quote== A two-solar-mass neutron star measured using Shapiro delay P. B. Demorest1, T. Pennucci2, S. M. Ransom1, M. S. E. Roberts3 & J. W. T. Hessels4,5 National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22093, USA...
  42. S

    Why is everything in the Solar system on a flat plane?

    Everything is on the same plane, and I was wondering why. I mean like, if you laid a reallllly flat and thin plate out, then everything rotating around the sun would fall in that, I mean the planets, not comets or whatever.
  43. S

    Charge separation in solar cells

    If there is a charge separation on macroscale in a solar cells (electrons flow in one direction and holes in another) why there is no high voltage build up similar to capacitors or piezoelectrics where also charge separation occur? There exist some glasses which become conducting when heated...
  44. T

    What is the appropriate sample rate for measuring solar radiation?

    I'm working on a solar radiation project. I was able to design a homemade pyranometer, yet I'm trying to establish what the sample rate should be. After reading several pdfs I set 60 seconds as my sample rate and I have good results, I mean if I choose 10 seconds instead I just get a lot of...
  45. N

    Earths Magnetic Field and solar winds

    Since the Earth's magnetic field helps to protect the Earth from a lot of the suns harsh treatments, do we also assume that in some degree light is also (possibly in very small fractions) also diverted by the magnetic field? If no, would it even be possible to assume that a very strong...
  46. S

    Why Are Solar Panels So Inefficient?

    Hey guys, I am a complete beginner in the field of electrical engineering so please bare with me in this discussion. It is my understanding that; 1) The Earth absorbs 3,850,000 exajoules in solar energy every year, which means that if we could harness even 50% of the suns power for just one...
  47. Ivan Seeking

    Stargazing Aug 21st, 2017, a total solar eclipse will cross the US

    And goes directly through Oregon. Woohoo! http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html
  48. nukeman

    Why are solar eclipses so short compared to lunar eclipses?

    Is it just because the moon moves in and out of view quicker than the Earth moving in and out of view as to a lunar eclipse? I can't find a simpe definition out there? Thanks!
  49. M

    How Does Solar Radiation Pressure Affect an Object in Space?

    The question I have is: Assume a 100 kg reflective load with 1m2 area at a distance of 1 million kilometers from the surface of the sun. If the sun’s temperature is 6000K and radius is 695,000 km, find the radiation pressure exerted on the object. Find how far the load would be from its...
  50. W

    Temperature funtion along X of a solar collector

    Homework Statement 1m wide solar heat collector that is x long. Find the temperature as a function of x. 500 W/m^2 transferred from the collector to the air within the collector, 100%. Air enters the collector has the following properties: cp = 1000 J/(kg*K) m = 0.02 kg/s...
Back
Top