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.

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  1. S

    Citizen explorer tries to explain the Ivanpah Solar Power Towers

    First, here is a riddle: Why did the tortoise cross the road? Because an under-pass was available. An adventurer and desert explorer visited and tried to explain the workings of the solar powered towers at Ivanpah, in the Mojave Desert in California. The person is not any kind of scientist nor...
  2. W

    I Question about electromagnetic spectrum and solar cells

    Would it be possible to change all wavelenths to one frequency that would then be sent to a solar panel adapted for it, or once split could to be sent to cells that work in that range? In other words use all the light to produse electric power
  3. Y

    Considering Earth ground vs floating ground in off grid solar

    Context: I'm building an off-grid, 100% solar powered home. I have a 12 kw solar array wired up to a Sol-Ark inverter and a Fortress 18.5 kwh lithium battery. Question: What is the ideal grounding/earthing scheme? Additional context: where I'm building, there is currently no requirement that...
  4. S

    I If one of the dimensions of our solar system contracted ....

    ... by a factor of 10, then would it operate exactly the same way as if it did not contract? I ask this because there could be an observer at a sufficient speed for which our solar system contracts by a factor of 10. Wouldn't our solar system and its contents have to behave differently for the...
  5. fresh_42

    I Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein enters inner solar system

    I start this thread about a comet that probably (hopefully) will be of common interest in the coming months (or years). And, no, Earth orbit will not be affected. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.09852.pdf
  6. cianfa72

    I About the relation between number of sidereal and solar days

    Hi all, I've a doubt about the following formula for the number of sidereal vs solar days for a generic planet orbit (e.g. the Earth's orbit around the Sun): $$N_{sid} = N_{sol} + 1$$ Section 1.5 of the book "Foundation of Astrophysics" - B. Ryden shows how to calculate the above equation...
  7. S

    B Question about the solar system and gravitational forces

    Alright, so I have a question. Now, on planets such as our Earth, there are a longitude and latitude as well as altitude. If I am not mistaken, I believe the latitude and altitude are part of what affects gravity, or weight, on a planet. Latitude makes it so that the object in question is...
  8. Zeeshan Ahmad

    I Evidence for existence of a 9th Planet in the solar system

    Could the existence of the 9th planet of the solar system is possible under these arguments of existence of it some where in the out scurt of solar system? The evidence for Planet 9 comes from its gravitational pull on other bodies. If the planet exists, its gravity will affect the orbits of...
  9. BWV

    Is Orbital Solar Feasible for the Future?

    Saw China launched a project to get a system operating by 2050, but at ~2GW that is about the capacity of a single nuclear power station, the Three Gorges Dam, at 22.5 GW has over 10x the capacity. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201126-the-solar-discs-that-could-beam-power-from-space US...
  10. I

    B Protecting Your Computer from Solar Storms - Is a Faraday Cage Enough?

    How did you find PF?: Via Google search From what I understand in scientific publications, if there is a strong solar storm directed towards the Earth, the effects would be such that any electronic equipment would suffer irreparable damage. I ask, if I put my computer inside a Faraday cage...
  11. G

    I Entropy question involving our Solar System

    Which is a higher entropy state: solar system as it is today with planets going around the sun at fixed distances in an orderly fashion OR all the planets and sun bumping into one another and forming a single body? If the entropy of the combined single body is higher, why doesn't the solar...
  12. T

    B Some visuals for Size of Solar System, Galaxy, Universe

    I was cleaning out my email archive after being notified I was out of storage. I decided to keep these. Enjoy. (original at: https://dingo.care2.com/cards/flash/5409/galaxy.swf) This one would be impossible on a phone and slow on a laptop, use a fullsize computer if available. I couldn't...
  13. R

    I Why does entropy grow when a solar system is formed?

    On page 50 of "From eternity to here", Sean Carroll writes that the protostellar cloud had a lower entropy than the solar system it produced. That strikes me as odd. A solar system looks more arranged than a dust cloud. When talking about entropy, someone always mentions the milk in the coffee...
  14. cemtu

    Engineering Shunt Resistor, Grain Boundaries & Solar Cell Circuit

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  15. The Baron

    I Can we calculate the efficiency and output of solar panels on an electron level?

    Okay, so i have an idea involving solar panels, and how to improve their effectiveness. But to verify it I need to know how to calculate the solar panel efficiency, without knowing the solar panel outut. or how to calculate the solar panel output on an electron level. Meaning not regular solar...
  16. B

    From weatherstation data to solar irradiation on specific surface

    So, at home I have a weatherstation which measures solar irradiation in the east, south and west in lux. I can read in these measured sensordata. From these measurements, I would like to calculate the solar irradiance on my windows. The solar energy formulas could help me with that. The work of...
  17. cemtu

    Why do monocrystalline solar cells have rounded/cropped edges?

    There were circular solar cells 30 years ago. Why do we have square-shaped solar cells now? Why square now?
  18. cemtu

    Purity of Polycrystalline Solar Cells vs Monocrystalline Solar Cells

    Why is the silicon purity of polycrystalline Solar Panels lower than monocrystalline Solar Panels? I have read this explanation somewhere in the internet but not sure if it is correct? Can somebody give me an explanation please?
  19. yecko

    Engineering Can the efficiency of a solar cell with a single band gap reach 100%?

    I have tried looking up online with the photoelectric effect, it just mentioned the energy of the photon must have to equal to band-gap energy. Yet, it didn't mention if 100% can be reached in that case, or if a single bandgap makes any effect...
  20. SPB COOPERATOR

    How fast must Voyager travel to leave the solar system?

    I have read articles about the Voyager probes leaving the solar system (or not) depending on what definition is used. So, another definition - do the Voyagers have sufficient velocity to escape the Sun's gravitati0nal influence?
  21. T

    Coverage of energy required for this Solar Panel Farm in Wales

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  22. A

    I How do I properly plot the solar spectrum and handle the flux of Arcturus?

    I'm trying to plot the solar spectrum (Wavelength versus Flux) from a table of values I'm given. I'm given 3 columns; Solar Flux Arcturus Flux Wavelength Plotting Solar Flux versus Wavelength gives me a graph (below) that is very difficult to resolve. There are 21,000 data points as well. If...
  23. phyduck

    Chemical/Paint Removal of broken glass from solar panel

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  24. B

    Nuclear physics - solar neutrinos interacting

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  25. J

    I Solar chromosphere: inter-conversion of Ca I, Ca II, role of photons

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  26. E

    B Understanding the Stress-Energy Tensor & Solar Mass in General Relativity

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  27. K

    B How the Earth's Magnetic field deflects the solar wind

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  28. DaveC426913

    B Plotting the Solar System's planets' distances logarithmically

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  29. jovanovic_oliver

    B Understanding the Mass of Solar Wind and its Impact on Earth's Surface

    According to wiki sources "The average mass ejected is 1.6×1012 kg" I would like to know, what part of that falls to surface of the Earth?
  30. E

    I Unleashing Solar Energy: The Potential of Mirrored Circles and Solar Panels

    Now before i take a ton of beating I'm not a Physicist this thread was a google command away looking for a physicists. I am an entrepreneur from the Blockchain world and before that the IT world. Now with the Current World Economic Forum, green bonds and saving our planet conversations i would...
  31. E

    I Solar System Diameter: Calculating Distances & Multi-Star Systems

    What is the method of calculating the diameter of a solar system knowing each of its planets distance to the star? Is it a matter of doubling the distance of the furthest planet? What about when a solar system has more than one star?
  32. T

    Engineering How could a solar farm affect the trains' signalling?

    How could a solar farm that would provide electricity to trains railway affect the train's signalling?
  33. C

    Decrease of Solar radius per year using Virial Theorem

    Hello, I am trying to solve this question: Assume that the Sun's energy production doesn't happen by fusion processes, but is caused by a slow compression and that the radiated energy can be described by the Virial Theorem: $$L_G = - \frac{1}{2} \frac{GM^2}{R^2} \frac{dR}{dt} $$ How much must...
  34. A

    Ship thrust required to move out of the plane of our solar system

    Hello, We know that most celestial objects in our solar system are in the equatorial plane of the sun. So too, does most of our spacecraft orbit in this plane as it explores our solar system. For a spacecraft already traveling away from the sun and towards the outer solar system, how hard...
  35. S

    I Astronomy in a Simple Solar System

    It seems to me that Galileo and his successors benefitted from there being other bodies in the solar system other than the Earth and the Sun to prove that the Earth (and other bodies) orbited the Sun, and not the other way round. In an imagined solar system where the Earth has no moon, and...
  36. E

    Solar radiation on a horizontal tank

    Hello everyone, I'm looking to estimate the variation of degassing on a horizontal tank of VC (vinyl chloride) due to solar radiation. The feed flow is continuous but the outlet is batch flow. So there is a lot of variation of liquid level in the tank (constant pressure). To avoid a lot of...
  37. N

    Temperature of a Solar panel in space

    Consider two 1 square meter marble slabs each of mass 1 kg floating in space facing the sun such that light from the sun incident perpendicularly on the flat faces. At equilibrium, power received from the sun 'PS' equals the power being lost in the form of radiation 'PR'. PS = PR (at...
  38. W

    Solar Inverter Basics: How Power is Drawn and Distributed

    OK.. I understand about the sync. Not a problem, but... My understanding is that the Inverter is wired in parallel with the incoming mains supply. So what happens when you switch on your toaster? What decides WHERE the current is drawn from? and assuming it comes from the Inverter, what decides...
  39. Mayan Fung

    I Recombination and open-circuit voltage in solar cells

    From the ideal diode model, we can derive the open-circuit voltage (Voc) as: $$ V_{oc} = \frac{nkT}{q} ln(\frac{I_L}{I_0} + 1) $$ where ##I_0## is the dark saturation current and ##I_L## is the light generated current. From the model, if the recombination rate increases, the dark saturation...
  40. DaveC426913

    Using a solar mirror to deflect a star

    I just finished Stephen Baxter's Manifold: Space. Great writer. Vast worlds he builds. In it, he has a project to deflect a star (a neutron star, to be exact) using a colossal mirror-sail placed on one side of the star. The idea is that the solar radiation bounces off the mirror and is...
  41. Hercuflea

    I Solar flare: Help normalizing the Band function

    I am trying to understand how to normalize a proton energy spectrum from a solar flare. The spectrum is given by the Band Function, and I cite the paper "Spectral Analysis of the September 2017 Solar Energetic Particle Events" by Bruno in 2019, link to paper. The equation number in the paper is...
  42. Whipley Snidelash

    Cheapest, easiest solar cell manufacturing methods on the Moon

    If I wanted to create a factory, possibly automated, on the moon using materials from the surface to create silicon solar cells how hard would it be? Considering the environment, the cheapest and simplest solar cell, regardless of efficiency, would be what to use because quantity and area of...
  43. sciFax

    I Effects of hydrogen anions in the solar atmosphere

    What is the population density of ##H^-## hydrogen anions in the Sun's atmosphere, how stable are they, what limits their numbers, and since they are the dominant source of opacity in radiative transfer in stellar atmospheres, what do they effectively "hide"?
  44. T

    Orbit calculations in the solar system (journey to Mars)

    I cannot understand the solution at https://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2015/upload/E3-2-5-solutions.pdf, because the solution is terse and skip steps (at least i think so). I figured out that the name of this transfer is "Hohmann-Transfer Orbit". A detailed walkthrough would be appreciated. If I...
  45. AN630078

    Solar Panels and Solar Radiation Flux Density Help - Very Confused

    Question 1; a) P=E/t E=5.796*10^7 J energy produced per day during the summer However, I am not certain how to calculate the time period, since although this concerns the energy produced per day, the sun does not shine for the entire duration of this 24 hour period. Also, I am unsure of the...
  46. Mayan Fung

    How to get maximal power output from solar panels in reality

    I learned that solar panels have their maximal power output at a particular voltage and current level. If we want to get the max power, we have to connect a load with a specific resistance. However, in reality, how does the solar plants solve this problem? I guess they won't allow the power...
  47. QuasarBoy543298

    I Relation between spin and solar winds

    I was thinking to myself, how come are particles coming from the sun gets deflected the way they do due to Earth's magnetic field? They are getting pulled toward the poles, but if we think in terms of classical Lorentz force, they should not just follow the magnetic field lines, but rather start...
  48. S

    B Does Removing Planets Affect the Sun's Energy?

    If I take away the planets in the solar system and leave the sun alone, would the sun have less energy than before?
  49. T

    Solar System Dynamics page at NASA/JPL

    Stumbled across this and found it interesting. Solar System Dynamics pages at JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab)/NASA. Has Bodies, Orbits, Physical Data, Tools, etc. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?site_map Cheers, Tom
  50. L

    Dual-Axis Solar Tracker Torque requirements

    Hello, I am building a dual-axis solar tracker for educational purposes and I need to determine the required torque to move the solar panel in both the azimuth and elevation directions in order to determine what size motors to use. I have attached a simple sketch illustrating the mechanical...
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