RENEWABLE ENGERY
SOLAR FARMS
Solar farms are sprouting up across America in all shapes and sizes, from small ones that light up local communities to gigantic, utility-scale solar farms that power thousands of homes. After decades of reliance on coal, Global power system was poised for a change, largely due to ageing infrastructure and economics, With the declining cost of solar, many utilities and developers have decided that construction of solar facilities is a better investment than new coal plants.
TYPES OF SOLAR FARMS
Community Solar
Community solar farms serve members or subscribers who paid for a share of its power, these are typically under 5 MW in size.
Utility Solar
Utility solar farms serves the utility company and its customers, Utility solar farms tend to be much larger than the community solar farms having a capacity from 1 MW to 2000 MW or more
PHOTOVOLTIC PANELS
A photovoltaic panel or a PV Panel contains 60, 72, or 90 individual solar cells which is made from layers of silicon, boron and Phosphorus.
When solar strikes the surface of the Panel, it knocks out electrons from silicon “sandwich” and into electric field generated by solar cells.
This results in a directional current, which is then harnessed into usable power.
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TYPES OF PV PANELS OR SOLAR PANELS
Monocrystalline solar panels
These are made from a single pure silicon crystal that is cut into several wafers.
The use of pure silicon also makes monocrystalline panels the most space-efficient and longest-lasting among all solar panel types.
Polycrystalline solar panels
Polycrystalline panels come from different silicon crystals instead of one.
This makes polycrystalline cells are much more affordable since there is hardly any wastage.
Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) panels
PERC panels are an improvement of the traditional monocrystalline cell. This relatively new technology adds a passivation layer in the rear surface of the cell that enhances efficiency in several ways:
- It reflects light back into the cell, increasing the amount of solar radiation that gets absorbed.
- It reduces the natural tendency of electrons to recombine and inhibit the flow of electrons in the system.
- It allows greater wavelengths of light to be reflected. Light waves over 1,180nm can’t be absorbed by silicon wafers and simply pass through, so they end up heating the cell’s metal back sheet and reduce its efficiency. The passivation layer reflects these higher wavelengths and stops them from heating up the back sheet.