Evolution of solar cells

In a world where most energy production comes from

non-renewable resources, people are trying to find efficient and
price-effective ways to use renewable energy. One of the great
leaps in renewable technology has been the solar panel, which is
composed of several solar cells that convert light into electricity.
Although some people associate solar panels with new age
technology, scientists have actually been working with solar
cells for nearly 200 years. The evolution of solar panels has been
a slow but worthwhile undertaking.
The first huge step in solar panel technology came when
Alexandre Becquerel observed the photovoltaic effect in 1839,
which occurs when a material produces electric current when
exposed to light. It was not until 1888 that the first solar cell was
actually built by Aleksandr Stoletov. His cell was based on the
discovery of the outer photoelectric effect, which caused
electrons to be emitted when energy (such as sunlight) was
absorbed.
The pros and cons of solar power:
Pro’s:
1.Marginal cost of generation is zero:
You may be surprised that we now list this as the leading advantage of solar
energy. The reason we do this is that most homeowners are now more interested in the
financial aspects of installing solar rather than the environmental benefits.

2.Insurance against rising power prices:

Installing a solar power system on your home means you can lock in a price of energy
for at least the 25-year life of the solar panels. You know how much energy the solar
panels will produce so that once you get an accurate price quote you know exactly how
much each kilowatt-hour of energy will cost you over the next 25 years. Many
consumers are now able to get a levelized cost of energy of $0.10 per kilowatt-hour. 

3. Renewable:
Solar energy is a renewable energy source: NASA estimates that the sun will shine for
another 6.5 billion years. Most of us aren't too concerned out that far.
Solar energy is abundant: The surface of the earth receives 120,000 terawatts of solar
radiation (sunlight) – 20,000 times more power than what is needed to supply the entire
world.

4. Environmentally friendly:
Harnessing solar energy does not generally cause pollution. Whilst there are some
emissions associated with the production and installation of solar energy equipment
these emissions are minimal when compared to generating electricity from fossil fuels.

5. Geographically widely available:

The level of solar irradiation that falls upon the earth varies with the geography of the
planet. Generally, the closer to the equator the more solar energy but what most don't
realize is that solar energy can be used anywhere.

For example, in the sunniest parts of America a solar system will produce on average
4.7 kWh of power per 1 kilowatt of solar panels but in the least sunny areas.

6. Reduces electricity costs:

With the introduction of net metering and feed-in tariff (FIT) schemes, homeowners can
now "sell" excess electricity, or receive bill credits, during times when they produce
more electricity than what they actually consume. This means that homeowners can
reduce their overall electricity expenses by going solar.

Con’s:
1. High capital cost:
Is solar power really expensive? This is probably the most debatable aspect of the
entire solar energy pros and cons list. The driving forces behind the development of
solar energy are rooted in politics. Solar power received government subsidies but the
oil and coal industries have also been subsidized. In 2010, coal received $1,189 billion
in federal subsidies and support for electricity production while solar is not far behind at
$968 billion.

2. Energy storage is expensive:

Energy storage systems such as the Tesla Powerwall home solar battery will help
smoothen out demand and load, making solar power more stable, but these
technologies are also expensive.
Luckily, there's a good correspondence between our access to solar energy and human
energy demand. Our electricity demand peaks in the middle of the day, which also
happens to be the same time there's a lot of sunlight!

3. Exotic materials:
Certain solar cells require materials that are expensive and rare in nature. This is
especially true for thin-film solar cells that are based on either cadmium telluride (CdTe)
or copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS).

4. Associated with pollution:

While solar power certainly is less polluting than fossil fuels, some problems do exist.
Some manufacturing processes are associated with greenhouse gas emissions.
Nitrogen trifluoride and sulfur hexafluoride have been traced back to the production of
solar panels. These are some of the most potent greenhouse gases and have many
thousand times the impact on global warming compared to carbon dioxide.

5. Solar doesn't move house:

One of the disadvantages of installing solar panels on your home is that it is expensive
to move them should you decide to move. The net metering agreement with your utility
is fixed to the property. However, in practice, solar panels add value to a home and so
even if you do move you are likely to see the value of your investment in solar panels
reflected in higher sale price.