CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO SOLAR PHOTOVOLTIC ARRAY

CHARACTERISTICS

1.1 IMPORTANCE

Solar energy is the energy harnessed from the sun. The total solar energy absorbed by Earth's
atmosphere, oceans and land masses is approximately 3,850,000 exajoules (EJ) per year Photosynthesis
captures approximately 3,000 EJ per year in biomass. The amount of solar energy reaching the surface of
the planet is so vast that in one year it is about twice as much as will ever be obtained from all of the
Earth's non-renewable resources of coal, oil, natural gas, and mined uranium combined
Solar energy is gaining momentum around the world a more and more countries have begun
transitioning to solar as a primal energy source. As the cost of solar energy has plummeted in recent
years along with wide major improvements in technical efficiencies and manufacturing quality, many
homeowners across the U.S are starting to look solar as a viable alternative energy solution.
The collection of light-generated carriers does not by itself give rise to power generation. In order to
generate power, a voltage must be generated as well as a current. Voltage is generated in a solar cell
by a process known as the "photovoltaic effect”. The collection of light-generated carrier by the p-n
junction causes a movement of electron to the n-type side and holes to the p-type side of the junction.
Under hart circuit condition, the earners exit the device as light-generated current

1.2 EARLY DEVELOPMENT

In 1839, French scientist Alexander Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect which
explains how electricity can be generated from sunlight. He claimed that “shining light on an electrode
submerged in a conductive solution would create an electric current.” However, even after much
research and development subsequent to the discovery, photovoltaic power continued to be very
inefficient and solar cells were used mainly for the purposes of measuring light.
In 1873, Willoughby Smith discovered that selenium had photoconductive potential, leading to
William Grylls Adams’ and Richard Evans Day’s 1876 discovery that selenium creates electricity
when exposed to sunlight. A few years later in 1883, Charles Fritts actually produced the first solar
cells made from selenium wafers – the reason some historians credit Fritts with the actual invention of
solar cells.
After years of experiments to improve the efficiency and commercialization of solar power, solar
energy gained support when the government used it to power pace exploration equipment. The first
solar-powered satellite, Vanguard l , has traveled more than 197,000 revolutions around Earth in the
50 years it has been in orbit. This application paved the way for more research to decrease costs and
increase production.In 1973, the University of Delaware was responsible for constructing the first solar
building, named “Solar One.” The system ran on a hybrid supply of solar thermal and solar PV power.
It was also the first instance of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) – the array didn’t use solar
panels but instead had solar integrated into the rooftop, similar to the design for Tesla’s new roof
product.
Solar cells as thin as paper can now be manufactured using an industrial printer. They have 20 power