Solar Panel Technology
Design Team 7:
Nathan Vargo
Tianhang Sun
Spencer Krug
Liqing Yao
Qifan Wang
What is it?
Solar panel refers to a panel designed to absorb the sun's rays as a source of
energy for generating electricity or heating.
A photovoltaic (PV) module is a packaged, connected assembly of a collection
of solar cells.
Solar Photovoltaic panels constitute the solar array of a photovoltaic system that
generates and supplies solar electricity in commercial and residential
applications.
History
1839 Edmond Becquerel discovers photovoltaic effect
1954 development of silicon photovoltaic technology by Daryl Chapin, Calvin
Fuller, and Gerald Pearson
1958 n-on-p silicon photovoltaic cells
1958 first satellite launched with pv powered systems
1970 cheaper solar cells available to public
1990 first grid-supported photovoltaic system
How Does This Technology Work?
Photovoltaic effect
Semiconductors
Solar cells
Solar arrays
Energy storage
Photovoltaic Effect
The photovoltaic effect is the creation of voltage or electric current in a
material upon exposure to light
Band gap energy
Valence and conduction bands
Electron hole pair
Return to neutral state
Semiconductors
Silicon
Dopants
boron and phosphorous
p-n junction
charge neutrality
depletion region
Potential barrier
electrons free to flow without
Solar Cells
Antireflection Coating
Front Contact
Electrode
n-type silicon
p-type silicon
Back Contact
Electrode
0.5V to 0.6V
Solar Array Construction
Cell to Module to Array
Module
Connection of cells
Most cells connected in series
Typically 36 cells
Array
Series or Parallel
Tied to grid
Storing PV’s Electricity
Tied to grid
Insufficient solar energy, power taken
from public grid
Sufficient solar energy, power sent to
public grid
Batteries
Expensive
Not very efficient
Advantages
Green Energy
No pollution
Slow/Stop global warming
Unlimited source/Renewable Energy Source
Gas, Coal and other limited power source are running out
Unlimited power source: solar, wind, etc
Saves money
Only cost initial setting fee, then free energy
Advantages
Creates jobs
Solar power creates 2 to 3 times more jobs than coal or natural gas.
Disadvantages
Initial cost fairly high
Night and cloud limit
Not able to create power when there is no sunlight
Power generated reduced during times of cloud cover
Uses a lot of space
High buildings may not get enough energy from solar panel
Energy storage is expensive
Good solution for night and cloud limit but quite expensive
Current Technology
Double sided Silicon material solar cells
efficiencies up to 15%
Single sided Silicon contact cells
efficiencies up to 25%
Concentration using curved cells and lenses
intensify light and use heat generated for conversion
Applications
Solar Heating & Cooling (SHC)
These technologies generate
thermal (heat) energy for water &
pool heating and space heating.
Some people are surprised to learn
that SHC technology can also be
used for cooling. Solar heating
technologies are cost-effective for
customers in a variety of climates.
Solar Roadways
Power Storage/Transmission
Netherlands already is applying
solar energy to building roads.
There are very small solar cells
integrated with the road structure.
This solves an issue of the large
amounts of space solar panel arrays
require.
Solar technologies directly produce
electricity which can be used,
stored, or converted for longdistance transmission. PV panels
can be manufactured using a variety
of materials and processes and are
widely-used for solar projects
around the world.
Applications
Solar Communication
Solar Irrigation
Monitor remote locations without
the need to route power from
electrical grids. With solar
technology, power can be obtained
in almost any remote location.
Solar power can also be used to
produce hydraulic pressure for
irrigation systems on farms.
Eyes to the Future
Gallium Arsenide instead of Silicon
Colloidal Quantum Dots
Extract unfiltered sunlight from space
Solar Windows
High-speed space travel
solar sail, theoretical max speed ~10% speed of light!
Our Project: Early Warning for Solar Power
Actually not directly related to solar panel itself
Reason for our project:
Significant power drop when clouds cover the solar panel for a long time.
Early Warning of when the cloud will cover the solar array on campus is needed.
MSU can buy the electricity from another company to make up the power drop (expensive),
or turn on backup power which takes several minutes.
Using light sensor to detect the approximate amount of solar power.
Questions