how can solar energy be converted to electrical energy?

Question

i am thinking of storing the solar energy for future use at home and outdoors.is it necessary that the energy we derive from the sun thru panels be put into use as soon as we get or it could be stored in someplace for future use like for home appliances and gadgets .instead of using lpg or hydro electricity which has no guarantee of supply

Answer 1

Solar energy can be converted into Electrical Energy by using Photo-volatic cells/Solar panels. Till now solar energy is stored in batteries. But if u can generate enough heatfrom the solar energy u can store them using the property Latent Heat of Fusion.

Answer 2

Depending on the type of battery will depend on how long it will store a charge before the internal resistance of the battery increases and the battery will slowly lose charge.

You could use solar panels to create electricity (25% typical efficiency, up to 35% for GaAs panels)
Or concentrate the solar energy to produce steam to run a turbine.
Wind powered generators are another option, but a bit noisy.
The Australian National University has some good info.

If the power isn't for immediate use, then storage is a problem.
The energy could be converted and stored as hydrogen gas.
This could be done by using the generated electricity to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis.
Less efficient, but a longer shelf-life if done properly.
Some safety hazards apply when storing large amounts of hydrogen :)

Answer 3

Light from the sun strikes a seminconductor junction (a solar cell) which causes electrons to break free in that junction and become available to produce current.

A solar cell then, as you ask, produces electric energy from solar. If more energy is available than you have use for, then yes you can store it in a number of ways. The best is a battery, for the price. Usually you would want a maximum power point tracking circuit to force the current out of the solar cells at the maximum rate and into the load, with what's left over going to the battery.

You can also store the energy in ultracapacitors, which last much longer than batteries in terms of cycles but are comparatively huge and expensive for the same storage.

Answer 4

1. Solar power: energy from sun which can be converted into electricity for use. 2. Two most popular methods (Solar thermal and Solar Photo-voltaic) Solar thermal: Solar heat is used as a source for the process of generation electricity. So a simple method would be heating up the water using suns concentrated heat and converting water to steam which thereby runs the alternator and generates electricity. Solar Photo-voltaic: In this process light (photons) are used rather than heat. It means that it is the intensity of light alone not the heat. So basically light is in contact with panel which have positive and negative silicon material which have a characteristic of converting photons into electrons-electricity is generated ... 3. Photovoltaic transformation, thermal transformation, etc 4. Energy generated via solar is renewable as it is abundant in nature. It can be renewed whenever it is required. Solar energy is available in day time only so need to store a lot of it to use it. 5. why is solar energy good? Environmental friendly, economic in some cases, renewable, etc. 6. Negatives of solar power: costly not very economic, storage of energy is problem, efficiency is reduced while converting D.C power generated to AC and Solar conversion efficiency highest achieved is 15 % in photo-voltaic and 45 % in thermal which is in some cases not economical. Times are changing and things are working out for solar energy. It may have lesser negatives in coming future.

Answer 5

Not many people realize just what Einstein won his Nobel prize for. It was not for Relativity. It was for his help with another scientist on the photoelectric effect. Photons when striking certain things can generate an electric charge in those things. (Yes this is over simplified.) Solar cells take photons of sun light and convert them into electrical charges. To store those charges, one could use some sort of battery or capacitor type device.

And actually, any electricity we use in our businesses or homes does not come directly from the source. It is all stored first in a battery type system for later distribution in a more controlled state through the power grid.

Answer 6

Photovoltaic panels convert solar energy to electricl energy. It can be stored as chemical potential energy in the form of a battery for using later.

Answer 7

Solar energy can be converted to electrical energy using a photovoltaic cell.And it is better if we start using solar energy.Because all the sources mentioned by you are non-renewable.Check this link if you want to know more about solar energy and it's importance with electricity.I hope you will find this intresting.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/solar.html

Good luck to you.

Answer 8

1

Answer 9

Use a solar Battery

Answer 10

through a solar energy battery bank