Efficiencey of a solar energy?

Answer 1

Solar energy is very efficient in the energy process itself. Once you have constructed the solar panel, all the energy you get from it is free because the sun is providing all th energy. However solar cells produce DC which must be converted to AC when used in currently existing distribution grids. This incurs an energy loss of 4-12%. But this ins't too bad considering a lot of other energy methods are not nearly this efficient for the cost to maintanence ratio. The reason solar is not being used very much is because you need hundreds of acres set up with solar panels to provide enough electricity for commercial production. Solar panels are very expensive and can be damage easily, such as from hail. So solar is not as practical as other methods such as conventional hydrocarbons and nuclear energy. So the energy efficiency is really good once established, but the cost efficiency (ratio of money put in to power given back) of solar energy is not good. However, major oil companies, such as BP, are investing billions every year to research and develop alternative energies such as solar power, thus coming up with better solar technology. So I wouldn't be surprised if in 20 years, solar panels will be all over the place.

Answer 2

Plants and older solar cells use about 10% of the energy incident on them. There is a new solar cell design that use over 30%

Answer 3

Most solar panels are around 11-15% efficient (check out this handy comparison table of solar panel efficiency to see the differences between brands). The efficiency rating measures what percentage of sunlight hitting a panel gets turned into electricity that you can use. The higher the efficiency, the less surface area you’ll need in your solar panels. Although the average percentage may sound a little low, you can easily outfit a typical roof with enough power to cover your energy needs.

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