Where did Solar PV start?
The ‘Photovoltaic Effect’ the science behind obtaining power from light was recorded as far back as 1839 by the French Physicist Alexandre Edmond Becquerel. He used 2 semiconductors, one with a positive charge, and the other with a negative and showed that exposure to light would change the electrons in this cell, generating a tension that could be harvested as voltage.
180 years later, Becquerel’s transformation of solar radiation into DC electricity remains the main principle corner stone upon which all modern Solar Power technology is built. His dream of everlasting and inexhaustible supply of energy is getting closer every day.
There are 4 main types of Solar Panels
- Monocrystalline
Cells are the most efficient, but also they are the most expensive to produce. They are essentially a single precisely cut slice of silicone crystal - Polycrystalline
Cells are sliced from a block of sandwiched silicon containing a large number of crystals. These are slightly less efficient and are slightly cheaper to produce. - Hybrid
A version of Mono cells. A thin film technology product with a slim line finish makes this one of the most expensive types of solar panel - Amorphous
Cells are manufactured as a thin veneer of non crystalline silicon onto a surface. These are the least efficient type of Photovoltaic panel but are the cheapest.
Will my panels work when its cloudy?
Your panels work from the radiated energy from the sun, we see it as light but even on a cloudy day modern panels will be able to soak up much of the invisible energy streaming down from the sun and generate electricity for you.
