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Photovoltaic cells (PV)
 The need for sustainable sources of energy has redoubled in recent years , as fossil fuels (the primary source of energy) are depleting and causing harm to the earth’s ecology. Photvoltaic cells are made of photosensitive materials that get excited when bombarded with sun’s light energy. Consequently, the energy from the light is absorbed and later emitted as electrical impulses. The phenomenon is called the photoelectric effect, which is well documented in basic science. Technically, Photvolataic cells are, “photodiodes.” Photovoltaic cells convert solar energy into direct current that is directly fed into equipment or into rechargeable batteries but the direct current would be converted into alternate current using an inverter when being fed into a grid system. Structurally photovoltaic cells are arranged in rows or arrays or sometimes electrically connected to form solar panels. The cells/panels are protected from the environment usually with a glass sheet. Much of the PV cells generating capacity are a part of grid-tied electrical system, which may be ground mounted or integrated with roof or walls of the building (Building Integrated Photovoltaic BIPV). Solar panels are increasingly becoming part of a grid system, although stand-alone units are also present especially to provide energy in remote areas. Power output through the PV system is subject to weather conditions and the capacity is usually assigned based on the maximum power output possible under standardized test conditions. The actual production may be higher or lower than the rated value depending upon local variations.
 Although PV cells and solar panels need heavy investments, the technology has been actively promoted in a few countries like Japan, Germany, USA and so on, by offering different types of financial incentives. The total global production of electricity using PV in 2007 has been estimated to be 12,400 mega watts. The capital cost of installing the expensive solar panels is the limiting factor behind the slow growth of the industry. Investors in the US are working around this problem by entering into power purchase agreements with consumers. Through this agreement, consumers had free solar power installation in exchange for a 25-year contract during which time they purchased electricity at a rate lower than that prevailing in the market. Technology is being continually improved to make PV more economic to the consumer. The price is expected to fall as the number of installations increase.
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Germany, Japan and USA have 89% of the PV installations world –wide. Spain has the third largest solar power installations in the worlds.
Apart from providing energy to generate electricity, solar power cells are also in transport and an auxiliary power source for boats and cars. It has also been used in calculators, LCD devices, emergency telephone systems, traffic signals and so on. Stand-alone innovations using solar power are uncomplicated and cost –effective compared to use of solar power in grids. Therefore, use of solar power in stand-alone systems is becoming more prevalent.
There are green house gases emitted with solar technology, however, production of cells creates some pollution in the range of 25-32g/kWh. Although costs of installation are high, it has been found that with the new crystalline silicon PV systems the ROI is between 1.5 -3.5 years. There are a few operational issues like interrupted power and conversion from AC to DC current for use in grids and so on. When compared to the benefits of solar power’s sustainability and emission free character, it is a small price to pay and besides, technological advances may solve much of these issues.
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