BETTER WAYS OF
USING SOLAR ENERGY
C SANDEEP REDDY
KOMMURI PRATAP REDDY INSTITUTE OF
HOW SOLAR ENERGY IS USED?
WORKING OF SOLAR CELLS
USES OF SOLAR ENERGY
Solar energy is the ultimate source of energy from millions of years
and it is a renewable energy.
This energy consists of radiant light and heat energy from the sun.
Out of all energy emitted by sun only a small fraction of energy is
absorbed by the earth.
Just this tiny fraction of the sun’s energy that hits the earth is
enough to meet all our power needs.
Using present solar techniques some of the solar energy reaching
the earth is utilized for generating electricity.
Even then the energy demand met by using solar energy is very
The fossil fuels are non renewable
sources so we cannot depend on
Though nuclear energy is a clean
and green energy,there are always
some problems associated with it.
So the only option we have is solar
energy because it is a nonpolluting
and silent source of electricity and
also low maintainence and long
HOW SOLAR ENERGY IS USED:
We can use solar energy by converting it to electrical energy . So
we must use a device called solar panels which can convert the
light energy into electrical energy.
Solar panel is a group of solar cells.
Solar cells works on the principle of photoelectric effect.
PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT:When a light of certain frequency falls on
the surface of a metal , electrons will absorb the energy . If
incident light energy is greater than the work function(minimum
energy required to remove the loosely bound valence electrons)of
the metal ,then the photo electrons will be emitted and the excess
energy is converted to the kinetic energy of electron.
WORKING OF SOLAR CELLS:
When solar panels are placed in the sunlight , photons will strike the surface
and emits electrons.
As a result electron hole pair is created in the solar cell.
When external circuit is connected to the solar cell , electrons flow in the circuit
and the current is generated.
USES OF SOLAR ENERGY:
Heaters Green houses
Cars water pumps
Dryers Solar ponds
Commercial use: On an office building , roof areas can be covered with solar
Remote buildings such as schools , communities can make use of solar
In developing countries , this solar panels are very much useful.
Even on the highways , for every five kilometres ,solar telephones are used.
Government should take measures and see that solar lights are
used as street lights in all the areas.
We can place solar panels in the barren lands instead of keeping it
We can also keep these solar panels in the deserts , where we can
make use of this energy with the help of a rechargeable battery.
Efficiency of solar panels depends on the range of frequencies of
light that strikes the surface . So they can give higher efficiency if
we split the light into different frequency ranges.
Building a new home is the best time to design and orient the
home to take the advantage of the sun’s rays.