Solar Power - Clean & Green Growth
Solar power was firs consciously used back in 400s BC. Not in the way it is used today but somewhat similarly for light and heath. Socrates was the first tho encourage the houses to face the sun to take advantage of heat and light. In the 1600s, a different milestone was reached in the use of the sun, with Galileo inventing the lens. In 1725, a solar-powered water pump was invented by Belidor. In this way, a vehicle was produced based on solar energy.
A cable repairman adjusts the Bell Solar Battery to make the first sun-powered telephone call near Americus, Georgia, on October 4, 1955.
What about the use of mirrors in solar energy? The example of mirrors in old palaces is often given but our concern is the use of solar mirrors for the production of electricity. The biggest reason for the interest in solar energy in the historical process is; the oil crisis experienced in the 1960's. This crisis caused a search for alternative energy sources.
Nowadays the use of solar power is not only efficient but also practical. The ongoing research, the growing demand, and the focus on renewable energies lead on to a cheaper and further efficient technology. Not only for industrial use, but also for residential use such as rooftop panels; or transportation as in solar powered hybrid vehicles. Today even portable solar panes are not a new and unreachable technology. These systems vary from pocket size panes that can charge your cellphones to hybrid modular boxes that can provide enough power for a site container with 2 offices or a camping site.
There are 7 types of solar cells and 4 of them are very commonly used due to their effectivity. These 4 common solar systems are; mono-crystalline solar panels, polycrystalline solar panels, thin-film: amorphous silicon solar panels, concentrated PV cells.
Concentrated PV cells, also called the 3rd generation solar panels; have an efficiency rate up to 41% which makes them the most effective.
Silicon Solar Panels, however lower in effectivity among the mentioned 4, are relatively low costs; easy to produce & flexible. In the near future, silicon solar cells are likely to continue to decrease in cost and be installed in large numbers. In the United States, these cost decreases are anticipated to increase the solar power produced by at least 700% by 2050.
A significant decrease in the cost of solar panels in recent years; resulted mainly from the mass production in China. Microchip costs have dropped millions of times faster than solar panel costs. Therefore today, investing in solar energy is even cheaper than before.
All in all; with the recent decrease in oil prices, the trend in rising renewable energy investments and with ongoing development, thus the improving performance / cost ratio, the future of solar energy seems bright. This will surely keep engineering & construction sector going for at least the long term of 25 years.