Future Of Solar Energy – Creating Most Efficient Solar Panels

 

Why solar energy is known as the energy of future?

Solar energy is completely renewable. It eliminates the use of fossil fuels, which are the primary source of greenhouse gases and the leading engine of global warming. The energy emitted by the sun is abundant and available everywhere. Solar is completely sustainable and environmentally friendly in nearly every way.[1]

Wouldn’t it be fun to be the “Man Of Steel” and live here on earth?

Being the third planet from the big, bright, yellow sun, this means unlimited source of super-human power – indestructible body; super-human speed and strength; ability to fly and freeze continents with your breath; and a sneeze that’s powerful enough to obliterate an entire solar system!

What’s not to like!?

Unfortunately, Superman and his fellow Kryptonians will stay as they are colorful, impressive, but fictional characters in DC’s comics. That said, you don’t have to be a Kryptonian to harness the power of the sun!

No, it won’t give you superpowers (the ability to better hide in the dark with a sunburned skin doesn’t count by the way). Solar energy has been and will continue to be utilized by man…and for very good reasons. Let’s take a look.

Solar Energy And Panels – It’s Been Around Longer Than You Think!

The use of solar energy isn’t really new.

Matter of fact, it was back 7th Century BC when ancient civilization has learned to harness the power of the sun.
With the help of a magnifying glass, they were able to concentrate the sun’s rays to create fire and burn ants and other pesky little critters…it was very effective at that by the way.

Four centuries later (3rd Century BC), two world powers – Greece and Rome, took it up a notch and used the sun concentrated rays to light up massive torches for religious ceremonies.

However, it wasn’t until 1876 that it was proven that solar energy, even without heat or moving parts, can be transformed electricity.

William Grylls Adams, together with his Richard Day, discovered that selenium generates electricity when exposed to sunlight.

Compared to the most efficient solar panels (mono- and poly-crystalline) available today, selenium sucked big time in terms of efficiency.

That said, even if this discovery by Adams seemed insignificant when compared to the great progress we’ve made as far as harnessing solar energy goes, it set things in the right direction…making it a scientific discovery of utmost importance!

In 1953, Calvin Fuller together with Daryl Chapin and Gerald Pearson ‘wowed’ the whole world. These three gentlemen discovered the silicon solar cell – the prototype of the modern-day solar panel.

Even better, the silicon solar cell didn’t just produce electricity…it was efficient enough to produce sufficient electrical energy to power-up small devices!

Ground-breaking as it is, this discovery of Fuller and company needed a ‘nesting period’ of another decade before it was ripe for use. It was during the early 1960’s that USA’s and USSR’s space program decided to give solar panels a serious shot.

But before the decade ended, solar power became the standard for powering satellites bound for the outer space.

Still, the public is not yet ready for these then-new solar panels. The technology is still in its development phase, and with a $300/watt price tag, it’s way out of reach for the average US resident. All of these changed though in the early 1970’s. Through a research led by Exxon, the cost-per-watt of solar panels dropped to a rock-bottom price of $20!

From here onwards, the development of solar panels sped up and never looked back! Continuously increasing in efficiency and its costs plummeting, solar panels finally crossed beyond space programs and powering satellites.

From 1970 to 1990, the world saw solar panels in action at railroad crossings; powering homes in remote locations; and extending the reach of telecommunication companies.

Fast forward today, photovoltaic energy and solar cells have gone places…from solar-powered cars and high-flying aircrafts; speed cameras that catch reckless drivers that go over the speed limit; to emergency phone systems, and more!

The continuous development and refinement of this technology shows no signs of slowing down.

The Most Tried And Tested Solar Panel Brands

Currently, there are hundreds of photovoltaic companies and manufacturers all over the world, which is really nice. It goes to show that the rest of the world has realized the HUGE energy and money-saving potential that solar panels have.

But for a home-owner who’s shopping for solar cells and panels to use at home, having so many options can lead to confusion.

So we saved you the trouble and compiled a short list of the leading and internationally recognized solar panel brands you’d want to check out.

These brands and manufacturers have been in the top 10 rankings (in terms of solar panel efficiency, price, etc.) for years. Let’s check it out:
Sharp – These guys have been in the game for more than 50 years and its name is synonymous to ‘quality’. Many of their solar modules (including the latest ND-F2Q235) are made of poly-crystalline silicon cells and don an easy-to-install design. This a huge plus since you don’t have to worry about paying top-dollar to have the solar modules installed by a professional.

True, they don’t have the most efficient solar panels in the market. But for the price and immediate savings during installation, you get a lot of value for your money.

Kyocera Solar – If aesthetic appeal is high on your list of priorities, you’ll be proud of installing Kyocera Solar’s visually-pleasing photovoltaic modules on your home’s roof. And that’s just one of the benefits!

Aside from good looks, their solar panels boast an impressive 16% solar efficiency. While not the highest, it’s still VERY high…and you’ll surely get your investment back in a few years thanks to the massive savings you get on your residential electric bills.

SunTech – If Sharp specializes in easy-to-install solar panels while Kyocera’s offerings are visually pleasing and very efficient, ‘unrivaled durability’ is SunTech’s claim to fame.

How durable are their solar modules? For starters, SunTech’s STP255S-20/Wdb can shrug off snow that weighs 113 pounds/sq. foot! And when it comes to efficiency, it’s no push-over with its very healthy rating of 15.7%.

Oh! By the way, you may want to read about their warranties, which is a little odd when compared to the industry standard of 10 years (workmanship) and 25 years (power output).

Canadian Solar – If you’re someone who can’t be bothered with routine maintenance work, you may want to look into Canadian Solar’s panels and modules.

Their tall; somewhat narrow; mono-crystalline solar panels are very easy to maintain. You can get away with just cleaning them with ordinary water once every few weeks…or if you really can’t be bothered, just wait for good ol’ rain to do the job.

With their solar panels capable of producing power up to 305 watts; maximum voltage of 36.6 volts; and top power current of 8.33 amps, Canadian Solar is no slouch when it comes to power output.