Commercial Solar Cells

Popular Types Of Commercial Solar Cells

Commercial solar cells are fast becoming a popular way to supply electricity for a varied range of uses, and are more affordable than ever.

What makes solar cells so popular? Well, they’re green, and provide a reliable source of clean energy that can be used to power homes and businesses. They are quieter and less intrusive than wind turbines, although they are more costly.

A solar cell – also known as a photovoltaic or photoelectric cell – is a solid-state electrical instrument used to convert light into energy. This is known as the photovoltaic effect.

These cells are used to construct solar modules (or panels as they’re more widely known) which then collect energy directly from the sun’s rays; energy which is used to power homes and businesses across the country. This is known as solar energy.

Solar cells have come a long way since their development in 1954 at Bell Laboratories. Two popular types of commercial solar cells are mono-crystalline and poly-crystalline silicon. NASA currently utilize silicon-based solar cells for use in its satellites and instruments.

Perhaps the biggest commercial use of solar cells is the solar farm. One of the largest solar farms in Britain houses 20,000 solar panels and can power 1,200 homes. The power is sent via the national grid to provide energy nationwide.

The world’s largest solar power installation is based in California, which holds a capacity of 354 megawatts, and there are plans to build many more commercial solar plants in the US.

Most of these plants are grid-connected, using net metering laws which allow use of electricity in the evening (having been generated during the day). In the US, New Jersey currently leads with the least restrictive net metering laws.

Already commonplace in countries such as Germany, solar farms are also becoming an essential part of worldwide energy-saving, and are helping countries such as Britain meet and maintain European guidelines; therefore, commercial solar cells are now a very lucrative market on both sides of the pond.

Although still more expensive than wind turbines (around seven times more costly), commercial solar cells and solar panels are already proving a more popular option for collecting natural sources of energy.

In fact, businesses and individuals alike are looking upon the commercial use of solar cells as an investment opportunity; this is helped by the Solar America Initiative which announced a $17.6 million investment in 2008 http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=solar_thermal_power_plants.

New, cheaper solar cell manufacturers are already jumping on the bandwagon, and with a 30 percent tax grant available for both residential and commercial installations, and the right forward-planning, the opportunity to start up a solar farm is a very attractive prospect.

A successfully-installed solar farm could guarantee a reliable and easy-maintainable source of income for over 20 years. So why not get started today?