A Resource About Everything Solar

Author: David


Solar Panels 2018

Solar Panels 2018

Photovoltaic solar cells generate electricity as a result of light photons hitting their surface. PV cells generate direct current (DC) which then is converted into alternating current (AC) by an inverter to be consumed by electric appliances. Typically solar cells produce 0.5V voltage so they are strung together as a module to get more power. A module usually encompasses 6 x 10 grid of cells. PV modules then are combined in PV arrays to provide the required amount of power. Modules are rated by the power they produce under the standard test conditions (STC) measured in Watts. The efficiency of a panel is the percentage of generated power versus the total solar power incident on the panel's surface. In other words, a panel with twice lower efficiency than another panel has to have twice the other panel's surface to generate the same amount of power.

Solar Power Optimizers

Solar Power Optimizers

Solar power optimizer or DC optimizer is a DC to DC conversion device mounted on each PV module to optimize power output. It employs the MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) algorithm to do the optimization.

Micro Inverters

Micro inverters

Micro-inverters are a type of solar inverters that tie to each panel individually and convert DC produced by that panel into AC. The outputs from all the micro-inverters are then combined to be consumed by various electric loads.

Perovskite

Perovskite

Perovskite is a compound material that is widely available in Earth's mantle. A curious fact about the perovskite is that although it is one the most abundant minerals on Earth and makes 38% of its mass we hardly ever see it.

Li-Fi Network

Li-Fi network

Li-Fi is a wireless technology using visible light to receive and transmit data. The term was coined by the inventor of this technology Harald Haas.

Airborne Lidar

Airborne LIDAR

LiDAR is the acronym for Light Detection and Ranging. It is a technology to measure the distance to a target by a laser pulse. A sensor detects a reflected beam and calculates the distance based on time and wavelengths.