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A “solar automobile” is an electric vehicle powered by solar electricity. The electricity is obtained from the solar panels on the surface, usually the top or window of the vehicle. It is amazing to know that the cars can run on freely and abundantly available renewable energy source the solar energy. The increasing fuel prices, slow economy, and high rates of inflation project a doom picture for our future. In these times the hopes of alternative fuel like solar energy is ray of hope for the bright future ahead.

In these vehicles “photovoltaic cells” are used which directly convert solar power into solar electricity. PV cells directly convert sunlight into electricity. When sunlight strikes PV cells, they excite electrons and allow them to flow, creating an electrical current. PV cells are made of semiconductor materials such as silicon and alloys of indium, gallium and nitrogen. Silicon is the most common material used and has an efficiency rate of 15-20%. The electrical energy produced by them is stored in the battery. The battery runs the motor which in turn runs the wheels of the vehicle and drives it.

Advantages of solar automobiles are as follows:

1. Solar energy is a clean source of energy as combustion of solar power doesn’t emit any fumes or gases. Harmful gases released due to fuel combustion in the automobiles have resulted in several environmental problems such as pollution, global warming and green house effect.

2. Automobile fuel combustion is the cause of several respiratory disorders and other health-related problems. While by using solar automobiles we can control effectively these types of problems.

3. One can never encounter the problem of running out of fuel with solar powered cars; solar energy in cars is also an effective saving option.

Solar powered cars are pollution free and also solar energy is inexhaustible. There is a very bright future for solar energy to power our transportation needs and we’re just scratching the surface of the possibilities.

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Solar energy is a renewable energy which doesn’t pollute the air and is used in various forms of utility on Earth, Such as drying cloths, heating water and powering different technologies etc. Though many usage of solar power have been discovered, but still we are not capable to make full use of solar energy. First ever solar cell was created in 1883 and now solar energy is used in powering vehicles as well. It’s a long journey of enhancement of solar energy from a solar cell to a solar car.

Solar Powered Cars:

In solar powered cars, same photovoltaic cells (PVC) are used which are also used in solar panels. PVC panels convert the solar energy into electricity that can be used. Solar technology is expensive and costs a lot. Solar panels have different prices, depending how fast the panel can capture and convert the energy. Solar powered car’s body is covered with solar panels, which costs hundreds of thousands dollars. Solar powered car can speed more than 60 miles per hour.

Different big motor vehicle companies are researching to make a solar car on reasonable price, so that they can launch it in the market. In Paris Auto Show, the Venturi Eclectic was presented. This car was designed to use solar and wind energy and was having speed up to 30 miles per hour. But such type of prototype cars can not be in practical use for traveling on highways. May be in future, solar cars are developed more on reasonable prices for general public, and those can be used on highways also. As the advancements in the field of solar energy are being made day by day, it seems solar powered cars wont take so long to be in scene on highways.

None the less solar energy have many benefits. Solar panels don’t make any noise pollution, so cars will be moving silently on the roads. Most of all, solar energy is free of cost and you won’t be dependent on oil. Though sun is not available around the clock, but batteries are used to store the power. As it’s expected to have solar cars on roads in future, so for time being you can experience solar energy powered car by purchasing the Toyota Prius, which has a new solar roof that can power the car for at least 20 miles longer.

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We have all seen calculators with solar cells, that enable the device to work without any batteries, and can be used for unlimited time period as long as there’s enough light.

These solar cells that are present in calculators and many other devices are also called photovoltaic (PV) cells. As the name depicts, these cells have the capability of converting sunlight directly into electricity.

A group of cells can also be connected together electrically, fitted into a frame to form a solar panel. Moreover, these solar panels can be combined together to form larger solar arrays, similar to the ones operating at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

Photovoltaic cells are made up of special material called semiconductors such as silicon, which is currently used most commonly.

When light falls on to the cell, a certain amount of the light is absorbed by the semiconductor material. The energy of the absorbed light is then transferred to the semiconductor. The energy is used to loosen up the electrons, allowing them to flow freely, and thus create electricity.

PV cells also have one or more electric fields that force electrons freed by light absorption to flow in a certain direction making a current. Thus by inserting metal contacts on the top and bottom of the PV cell, we can direct the current for some external use. This current, combined together with the cell’s voltage due to the built-in electric fields, defines the power that the solar cell can produce.

This is the basic process through which photovoltaic cells work, but clearly there’s much more to it, which will be explained in the proceeding articles.

Technorati Tags: Photovoltaic,panel,cell,energy,voltage,Cells,batteries,panels,semiconductor,electrons

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Solar panels are a great way to generate clean and renewable electricity, which can be used to supply power to remote areas or even the average home.

Currently there are two main forms of solar cells, known as the “solar electricity panels” and “solar hot water panels”. These two technologies are used either to generate electricity for our homes or to heat the water we use.

With the passage of time, new and more efficient solar panel designs are coming in the market, making the use of photovoltaic power much more viable to homeowners and businesses.

Solar Electricity Panels

Solar or photovoltaic cells are a great way of providing electricity to remote areas, where it is difficult to supply electricity through a grid. The best example of such power generation can be found on satellites. For several years, satellites have been using solar panels to catch the suns rays, in order to provide power to the equipment on board.

Photovoltaic cells can be aligned as an array, to provide maximum efficiency. There are many advantages of using a solar cell array, with various panels fitted along a mounting system. One of the biggest advantages is that various numbers of cells can be combined to provide greater output of electricity, making this method a viable option to power small homes and businesses.

The increasing efficiency of the new solar energy technologies have made it easier to purchase and install panels, making this an efficient way of harnessing energy from the suns rays to turn into electricity for use in our homes.

Although it is possible to generate enough electricity through solar panels to run a complete household, yet this is unlikely in most cases due to the costs involved. Thus solar power can be used in combination with some other supply to provide affordable energy solution.

Solar Hot Water Panels

Use of solar panels to heat water is becoming increasingly popular around the world due to the energy and money that can be saved using this method.

An efficient solar hot water panel system can provide an average household with about a third of its annual hot water supply. Although this may not seem as a lot, it can reduce energy costs by a considerable amount.

If you are able to combine a solar panel hot water heating system, together with an average solar electricity system, you could successfully save up on energy and electricity bills.

Technorati Tags: Solar,panel,Photovoltaic,cell,solution,Panels

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Solar energy is extremely important for us to survive. Besides helping us to stay warm, and enabling other organisms to survive, it is used in the commercial power production as well.

Solar energy is also essential for plant life as it is necessary for photosynthesis, the process through which plants generate energy and process nutrients for their growth by converting solar light for their own use by utilizing chloroplasts within their leaves and bodies.

Through this process, food is produced for other herbivores together with oxygen for us to breath and removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, allowing creatures such as ourselves to survive while maintaining a balanced world temperature.

Hybrid solar lighting used for interior lighting is also a type of solar energy. This is most commonly used to give off light inside buildings. You will find that individual solar lights will marinate in the sun all day and stay lit at night to light up walkways and gardens.

A lot of people do not realize that solar energy is used for cooking. Solar power ovens as well as other kitchen appliances are becoming more and more popular. Something as simple as a greenhouse uses solar power. Power from the sun will help the plants to grow and thrive. Greenhouses also take in the rays of the sun to heat up the inside of the greenhouse. This is very beneficial to the plants during the winter time when they would normally die.

Many of us are unaware of the fact that solar energy is also responsible for generating wind currents, which help the spreading of spores and gametes in plants and fungi to allow their propagation over a wide area.

Herbivores or omnivores also require solar energy to gain energy, which help them to produce various B vitamins such as B-12 to energize and stimulate several processes.

Solar energy even affects our daily moods, as our bodies adapt and adjust throughout the different seasons as the amount of sunlight changes. For example, many people feel more depressed or less energetic in the winter or during rainy seasons, while the summer tends to see more positive feelings and productive work styles.

This is commonly known as “Seasonal Affective Disorder” and is common among not only people but many animals as well.

Solar energy is also partly responsible for the generation of oceanic waves and currents as well as regulating the salt/fresh water mix through the melting and re-freezing of the polar ice caps.

This supports a conducive living environment for ocean creatures as the oceanic currents circle and deposit shared nutrients across the globe. The melting of the ice by solar energy makes sure that new fresh water is made available for countless ecosystems around the world that are dependent upon this cycle for survival.

Lastly, the commercial use of solar energy has helped to provide an alternative, renewable power source through the usage of photovoltaic energy cells for harvesting direct energy from the sun’s rays as well as through harvesting wind and hydro power, both byproducts generated from solar energy.

Many people have utilized effective renewable energy in a number of different ways, helping to reduce energy consumption in many countries, thus providing a cleaner, safer environment for people to live in. This is especially important now as the oil reserves deplete increasingly each year, paving the way for alternative energy.

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