The Radiant Energy emitted by the Sun is the greatest source of energy that the earth has.  The only problem has been our inability to harness this energy since it is not a concentrated source of energy.  But since the earth is constantly being engulfed in it, man has attempted to tap into this source of essentially free energy.  With the development of Solar Cell Technology, and the evolution of Solar Cell Technology that has occurred over the last 30 or so years homeowners can now tap into this vast energy resource saving themselves money while reducing their Carbon Footprint.




Photovoltaic Technology

The creation of the Solar Cell made it possible for us to tap into the enormous amounts of solar energy that the Sun emits to produce electricity.  Initially Solar Cells which were Selenium based were not very efficient but hinted to the possibilities of the technology if better materials could be found.  When Silicon Solar Cells made their debut, the viability of converting Light into electricity now became a useful but expensive means for generating electricity from light.  In the early days of Silicon based Solar Cells the efficiency of Solar Cells was about 10 percent.  With the advent of Amorphous and Polymorphic Solar Cells efficiencies are now close to 41%.


How Do Solar Cells Work

Let us first define what a Solar Cell is.  Electricity can be created by generators, chemicals, heating of dissimilar metals and by direct conversion of Sunlight.  The Silicon Solar Cell is an electronic device that uses two types of Silicon to produce electricity strikes the material.  This is possible because Photovoltaic Cells take advantage of the Particle Nature Of Light.  Light has two properties Waves & Particles and the particle nature of light which is called the Photon the excitation element of a Solar Cell.

As Photons strike the Silicon Material current flows producing electricity; without getting to technical I'll explain the conversion process that takes place when light strikes a Solar Cell.

A Silicon Solar Cell is not pure Silicon, Pure Silicon is a poor conductor of electricity as a result  impurities are added (referred to as doping) to allow for the free movement of electrons which results in current flow.   When these impurities are added to the Silicon extra electrons are added to the material that are easily knocked loose by Photons hitting the Silicon.

Now as many may know for there to be current flow, you need an anode and cathode.  This is accomplished in a Silicon Solar Cell by doping some Silicon with N-Type material like Phosphorus and P-Type material like Boron.

When the P and N doped materials are in close proximity we now have a circuit that will generate electricity when a Photon strikes the Solar Cell.  By combining lots of Solar Cells in parallel and series we are able to create an array of Solar Cells that will produce the voltage and current that you require to power your electrical devices.

Since we can stack many Solar Cells together we can develop Solar Panels of any size to generate enough power to supply the electricity needs of a home.  Though Solar Panels at one time were very expensive and beyond the reach of homeowners; over the last ten years prices for Solar Cell panels have dropped dramatically.  Thus making it affordable for homeowners to use them to generate electricity for their homes.

Better yet for those that like to do things themselves you can assemble your own Solar Panels and save a bundle while seeing a faster return on your investment.  For instance a Do-It-Yourself individual can assemble a Solar Panel for about $200 which saves you a few thousand over a commercial Solar Panel.

For homeowners who want to invest in Green Technologies like Solar & Wind the Federal and Local Government offers Tax Credits and Subsidies.  This means that an investment in Green Technology puts money in your pocket, ups your homes value and reduces your dependence on polluting Fossil Fuels the Polluting Fossil Fuels that are responsible for Global Warming.





Final Thoughts
Solar Energy, our most plentiful renewable energy is non polluting unlike the current mix of Carbon Based Fossil Fuels and is available to us for as long as the Sun continues to shine.  Fossil Fuels on the other hand are obtained from deposits laid down millions of years ago are a finite resource that won't last forever.

As the technology continues to improves and Solar Cell efficiencies continue increase the cost of implementing Solar Energy Technology will drop even more than they are today.  This can not be said of Fossil Fuels; if 2008 is an example of what's to come Fossil Fuels will become more expensive as demand for them increases and their availability becomes scarce.



Learn more on how you can get started in implementing Solar Energy Green Technology in your home Today!