Climate change is real whether we like it or not. It’s become clear that our current energy models and trajectories are not sustainable. The time to make a difference is now, and solar is the way to do it.
Innovations in high tech solar panels have been pushing the limits of efficiency. Solar power is also becoming more affordable thanks to these efforts. It’s more feasible than ever before to switch to solar.
Using multiple materials to increase efficiency is showing more promise every year. The discovery and use of new methods and materials are also game-changers. Whereas 12% energy efficiency was the norm a decade ago, breaking 30% is the wave of the near future.
Knowing more about high tech solar panels is essential. Check out our guide to learn how solar works, the major trends, and how it can benefit you.
Why Solar Over Other Renewables?
It’s little wonder why renewable energy is picking up on popularity. Climate change is getting worse, and the repercussions are more evident. Many traditional energy sources are destroying our planet and our ability to live sustainably.
Droughts, floods, and hurricanes are only some of the effects we’re already facing. Many of us have already taken up the call as a global society. Recycling and better resource management isn’t the only thing we can do.
Getting off our reliance on oil, gas, and fossil fuels is necessary. Those communities that can switch to hydro or nuclear have already done so. The thing is, those have their own issues.
Hydro requires proximity to running water, making it unviable for some. It also runs the risk of environmental damage or disturbing local marine ecosystems.
Nuclear, of course, has problems with red tape and perceptions of safety. Moral objections also exist and the environmental concern of what to do with all that waste. Recycling and disposal are expensive and not 100% as efficient as we need them.
The solution has been staring us dead in the face, even if we can’t stare back without burning our corneas. The sun is an energy source that we’ve been harnessing into solar power for many years now. Issues around scale, efficiency, and cost have also disappeared with recent advances.
With high tech solar panels, it’s possible to switch your home’s energy needs to be renewable.
What Are Solar Panels Made Of?
Solar panels consist of solar cells. These panels often consist of silicon. Silicon is a fantastic semiconductor, which can generate electricity.
The cells have a crystalline structure that is very thin. At present, China and Taiwan hold the lion’s share of global production of solar cells at around 70%. The way solar panels create electricity is a lot more straightforward than you may think.
It all starts when photons hit the solar panels. These light particles get absorbed by solar cells. These cells are also known as photovoltaic cells.
This process generates energy in the form of DC. Because the US power grid system runs on AC, this needs to get converted to AC. The same is true in many parts of the world that don’t rely on DC for large-scale power grids.
The reasons for this have a long historical background. Suffice it to say that AC is cheaper and easier to work with over long distances, making it better for larger grids. Because photovoltaic cells absorb light energy directly, they produce direct current instead.
How Photovoltaic Cells and Solar Inverters Work
Photovoltaic cells need to get treated first with boron and phosphorous. This is because you need to create a negative and positive charge in the cell.
Without this, the solar cells won’t be capable of carrying electric current. The current is a result of radiation getting absorbed by the solar cell. Photovoltaic cells are usually made of materials like silicon because they are semiconductors.
Semiconductors are good at absorbing light energy. This energy from the sun interacts with the photovoltaic cells to cause electrons to move. This movement is what creates a direct electric current.
A solar inverter is then needed to convert the DC to AC electricity. AC is what most homes attached to the US power grid use. Specific wavelengths of light hit the solar cell in different ways, affecting efficiency.
Silicon is great at converting red light, for example. Wires in the solar module send DC into the solar inverter and then into the house or grid.
If you connect your solar panels to the grid, you can even contribute power back to it. This comes from something called net metering. In essence, if you produce more solar power than you use, it goes back into the grid so long as it’s connected.
You’ll even get rewards for contributing your excess power, often in the form of credits. It shaves off a considerable chunk of change from your electricity bill.
The Old Problem with Solar Power
In a general sense, everyone knows the answer to the question of how do solar panels work. They capture energy from the sun and convert it into usable electricity. The dependency on sunlight introduces limitations for what are optimal conditions for operating.
Because of this, most people also know that some form of battery storage is necessary. The major concern used to be that a lack of good weather would introduce too much inconsistency. To make the full switch to solar-powered grids, you can’t have any risk of blackouts or power shortages.
This made solar a problem in parts of the world where sunlight was in short supply. In addition, the northern hemisphere has shorter days, especially in winter. Regions that regularly experience rain and heavy cloud coverage are also potential problem spots.
Any system in which a week’s worth of poor weather could lead to a power shortage in a major city is risky. The potential for demand to outstrip an interrupted supply was too high. For this reason, solar made its home in selective circles.
It served as a partial power source in private homes or businesses rather than a universal city power-grid option. This has been changing over the last decade, thanks to major advances in solar panel technology.
The Advances since the First Wave of Solar Power
Solar panel tech has been around for a while and had its fair share of doubters. The efficiency of solar cells and the feasibility of large-scale and long-term energy storage has been a hot topic for debate. About ten years ago, commercial solar panels were pretty inefficient.
They could only convert approximately 12% of the light energy they got. This is up to almost 17-20% today, which is a huge improvement. Breakthroughs looking to crack 30% are already here.
The rate at which solar is being adopted is also growing at a record pace. As of 2020, 2.4% of the global energy supply was getting met by solar. This has since been rising.
From a baseline of 600 gigawatts in 2019, we’ve added over 100 more throughout the pandemic so far. This number will only continue to rise as solar panel technology continues to innovate. Traditional solar panels are hard-capped at around 30% efficiency.
Experts know this as the Shockley-Queisser limit. This was a problem foreseen a decade ago, but now we’re hitting right up against those limits. The limit states that solar cells made of 1 material won’t be capable of surpassing 30% efficiency.
However, by using six materials, it’s possible to hit 47%. Rather than mere theory, innovative attempts have proven the 30% window can get broken. Multi-material approaches have already surpassed the 17-19% average of traditional sole silicon models.
Efficiencies in the 25-32% range are already possible and affordable.
The Perovskite Revolution
One of the best revolutions in high tech solar is perovskite. Unlike traditional solar cell structures, the ones made with this tech are thin. They’re only 300 nanometres.
For reference, a human hair is 80,000 nanometres. In essence, this makes these cells closer to a film. You could use an inkjet printer to make them.
It’s also cheap to make and is more efficient than silicon in low-light situations, such as when it’s cloudy. They even work pretty well indoors. The potential for cheap and easy-to-make photovoltaic devices is staggering.
The thinness also makes it super flexible. This all combines for some creative applications. Everything is being trialed, from layering it on park benches to charge people’s phones to printing it on outdoor wall panels.
Since perovskite is a unique material, this also opens up the option of paring it with silicon. By covering a silicon panel with a film of perovskite, you can make a two-material solar cell. This lets you bypass the 30% Shockley-Queisser limit very cheaply.
Advances in Magnification
There is another major method of bypassing this limit. This method magnifies light using mirrors or reflective surfaces. The problem with this is it’s often been cost-prohibitive to do on smaller scales, such as in homes.
This is often seen in large solar panel farms powering large grids. One way to get around part of this is through floatovoltaics. By building massive floating solar farms in the water, you increase efficiency and reduce costs.
They’re easy to incorporate into existing reservoirs and won’t cause ecological damage. In terms of magnifying on land, new developments seek to push down the cost of this approach. Startups have created a hexagonal lens design in the protective glass of traditional solar panels.
This magnifies the light 200 times, making it much more efficient. It even shifts the cell array during the day to keep in step with the sun’s trajectory. This is a cheap approach that works at the individual panel level and shows the potential to hit 32%.
It’s already at 29% now, but this jump would be a huge collective victory for solar power potential.
The Advantages of Using High Tech Solar Panels
Apart from the ecological benefits of using high tech solar panels, they’re great for your pocket. It helps you save money on rising electricity costs. Depending on the rig and system that you have, a zero-net for your household is possible.
Solar cuts your expenses and can save you thousands of dollars. Some areas also have tax breaks that let you write off this expenditure. The global economy will only push further towards green energy.
This will fuel the interest in solar, ensuring its growth and development. What used to be a “trend” will soon be the norm. As productions ramp up, so will its innovations.
Ones already in progress are Perovskite and cheaper built-in magnification. These are only two of the major trends in development today. Thanks to revolutions like these, we’re now looking at building-integrated photovoltaics.
The ability to make solar fabric is also on the horizon. Soon, sudden power outages will be a thing of the past. Incorporating it into our daily lives will be a breeze with easier access to solar tech.
This is thanks to the paradigm-shifting potential that perovskite introduced. However, these are still in the early development stages. However, it doesn’t hinder the future game-changing possibilities of solar.
That said, there are no benefits to reap unless you get into it. Learn more about which systems are best suited for you, and you might even get deals and discounts. Know who to contact about rebates, and start saving both the environment and money.
High Tech Solar Panels Are the Future
It should be clear that the only future we have is sustainable. High tech solar panels are the way to get there, with innovations making them better every year. Solving the 30% cap and making solar power more affordable will do wonders for everyone.
For more on solar and how you can incorporate it into your life, take a quick gander at our site. We have tons of info on the subject.