Evolution Of Solar Panel Efficiency

This crystalline material could ultimately replace silicon in solar panels and reduce costs using simpler production.

Evolution of solar panel efficiency.

Solar panel efficiency over time. If your are looking to minimize your exposure to ever increasing electricity prices please give us a call and we can discuss what options are available. Solar panel efficiency is a measurement of how much of the sun s energy a certain panel can convert into usable electricity. The evolution of solar power improvements in technology have made solar power more efficient and affordable than ever.

Solar panel efficiency is a measure of the amount of solar energy irradiation which falls on a panel surface and is converted into electricity. 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 wasn t until 1954 that bell labs invented the first useful silicon solar panel which was about six percent efficient. Today solar panels can deliver at up to 22 efficiency.

There have also been ongoing efforts to make solar energy even more affordable and efficient with an emerging technology called the perovskite solar cell. Since 2009 evolution energy has installed over 1500 solar electric systems across southern california and we are still here today in order to honor our work and maintain our systems. New solar panels are more reliable than their predecessors and financial incentives bring their cost down considerably. The very first solar cells invented in the 1800s were less than one percent efficient not nearly enough to make them a useful energy source.

This is a vital factor in panel technology because the more energy a solar panel can absorb the more efficient the panel becomes at harnessing solar energy. For example a solar panel with 20 efficiency and an area of 1 m 2 will produce 200 kwh yr at standard test conditions but it can produce more when the sun. This is done by capturing the electrical current generated when sunshine interacts with the solar cells in the panel and is transferred through the wiring and busbars to be converted into ac alternating current energy. The evolution of solar panels has been a slow but worthwhile undertaking.