Solar electricity

M. Hankins, SolarPuralElectrification in the Developing World, Solar Electric Light Eund, 1993. 

The first solar-electric technology to arouse industry interest was solar-thermal energy (1,3,5,6,8). Under favorable circumstances, it can be cost-effective, as evidenced by the fact that solar-thermal gas-hybrid plants produce over 350 MW of commercial power in southern California. This power is used during peak demand to supplement that available from conventional generation. 

As of this writing (1996), 354 MWe of privately funded, paraboHc-trough electric generating capacity was operating in California. These trough systems operate in a hybrid mode, using natural gas. Collectively they accounted for more than 90% of worldwide solar electric capacity. The cost of these systems fell steadily from 0.24/kWh for the first 14-MW system to an estimated 0.08/kWh for the 80-MW plant installed in 1989 (5). 

Trough systems currently account for more than 90 percent of the world s solar electric capacity. They nse parabolic reflectors in long trough configurations to focus and concentrate sunlight (up to one hundred times) on oil-filled glass tubes placed along the... 

Use of solar panels or photovoltaics (PVs) is another popular way to generate solar electricity. The space program is perhaps the most recognized user of PVs and is responsible for most of the advancements in PVs. Many people are familiar with PVs through small applications such as calculators and perhaps solar water heaters, but early forays in PV experimentation were little more than noted side observations in non-PV experiments. 

Solar cells, 22 220, 9 729, 23 32. See also Photovoltaic (PV) cells antimony compounds, 3 53-54 dye-sensitized, 26 878 degradation of, 22 139 economics of, 22 140 efficiency of, 23 15 for electricity generation, 23 26 hydrogenated amorphous silicon in, 22 135, 136, 138-139 materials for, 23 14-15 micromorph, 22 140 polymethine dyes in, 20 516-517 silicon for, 22 507-508 silicon purification for, 22 496 stacking, 23 38-39 vitreous silica in, 22 444 Solar collectors, 23 25 Solar constant, 23 2 Solar control coatings, 23 16 Solar desalination, 26 89-94 Solar electricity, 23 51, 52 Solar energy... 

Photovoltaics are adaptable and do not need deserts or cloudless skies. The application of PV systems to buildings shows that solar electricity can now be produced without needing any extra land. Arrays of PV modules can be designed into new buildings or added to old ones. Build-... 

The key is a reduction of costs. Solar panels are expensive since photovoltaic technology is still in its infancy. Although the price of PV cells has fallen significantly, PV electricity is still not without a subsidy. As more PV systems are built and installed, the market should result in solar electricity becoming more and more competitive. 

The reliability and cost of solar electric technologies should continue to improve, although solar power only accounts for less than 1% of all power consumed. The U.S. produces about 300 megawatts of electricity with solar which is about the same amount produced by a mid-size traditional power plant. If solar energy is to provide a significant part of the world s energy needs, the cost of solar must be competitive with other energy sources such as natural gas, nuclear or coal. 

Small neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) have been gaining popularity throughout the United States and in other parts of the world. There are several companies that manufacture and sell NEVs in the United States. Some of these employ solar-electric technology. 

In solar NEVs the solar-electric panels and the charge controller keep the batteries charged while not overcharging them. The owner can park the NEV in the sun and the vehicle will charge itself. If it is a cloudy day and the owner wants to charge the vehicle, it can be plugged into ordinary house current. 

The Sunmobile SunVee is a solar neighborhood vehicle. Solar electric panels are integrated with the body to charge batteries which power an electric motor. The neighborhood range is about 30 miles with a top speed of about 25 miles/hour. The Sunmobile is based on a commercial four-wheeled, two person, pedaling bike, called a Rhoades Car. 

Sunnev offers kits for building solar electric vehicles that seat two with a 25 mph top speed a range of 20 miles. A small panel on the hood provides about 3 miles per day travel on a sunny day and larger panels on the roof bring that up to 12 to 16 miles per day. 

The Venturi Astrolab is called a high-performance solar-electric commuter car. It has two seats in tandem for better balance on the road, a 16 kW asynchronous motor and a hydride metal nickel 72V battery that gives it a 110-km range and a 120 km/hour top speed. 

Muneer, T., Asif, M., Munawwar, S. 2005. Sustainable production of solar electricity with particular reference to the Indian economy. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 9 444 73. 

The main competition to semi-condnctor photovoltaics for producing solar electricity commercially is coming from photoelectrochemical devices based on dye sensitisation. These devices use relatively inexpensive semi-conducting materials such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and tin oxide. Gratzel in Switzerland has carried out the seminal work in this area, following on from the initial observation by Fujishima and Honda in Japan that a titanium dioxide electrode could be used to spht water into hydrogen and oxygen. 

T0728 Solox, Hybrid Solar/Electric Ultraviolet Oxidation System T0732 Solvent Extraction—General... 

T0728 Solox, Hybrid Solar/Electric Ultraviolet Oxidation System T0747 SteamTech Environmental Services and Integrated Water Resources, Inc., Steam-Enhanced Extraction (SEE)... 

Hybrid Solar/Electric Ultraviolet Oxidation System... 

Solox has designed a hybrid solar/electric ultraviolet (UV) oxidation system for remediating organic contaminants in water. While the bench-scale system of this technology worked, according to the vendor, it has not been tested yet at field scale and is not commercially available. All information is from the vendor and has not been independently verified. 

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