Summary: Thin film solar cells use much less semi-conductor material than crystalline solar cells.
You might have heard about Thin Film Solar Cells. What indeed are they? Why are they called “thin film”? And what advantages do these have over conventional solar cells?
Most times, when we talk about solar cells, we are referring to what are called […]
Summary: IGBT is an an electronic switch. In solar inverters, this switch performs the key functions to convert direct current from the solar cells to an alternating current.
When you talk about inverters to many technical folks in the solar energy sector, they will almost inevitably say something about IGBT. What is an IGBT and what is its […]
Summary: Polysilicon, a highly refined form of silicon, is the starting material for solar cells.
For silicon-based solar cells, polysilicon is the starting material. What is polysilicon, and how is a silicon cell made from polysilicon?
Polysilicon is formed from Quartzite, a form of quartz sandstone rock. For simplicity sake, you could consider quartzite as comprising pure sand.
Owing to its excellent semiconductor […]
Summary: A solar cell is the smallest unit of a solar power system. Many solar cells make a solar panel.
A solar cell is the basic electricity generating unit of the solar photovoltaic system.
You would have surely heard about Solar Cells? What are solar cells, how are they made and how do they generate electricity?
Solar cells form […]
Summary: Conventional solar PV cell efficiency are in the range 10-22%, and module efficiency in the range 9-20%.
If only we had super high efficient solar cells, the whole world would only be using solar to power everything. So what indeed is the efficiency of solar cells all about, and how efficient indeed are the current […]
Summary: The mounting structure is the supporting structure that holds the solar panels or arrays of solar panels to the ground.
When you see solar panels, whether on rooftops or on the ground, you see them mounted on metallic structures. What are these mounting structures made of, and do they play a role beyond being just support […]
Summary: Rooftop solar refers to solar PV power plants mounted on top of roofs – building roofs, car parking roofs and other roofs.
Everyone today is talking about Rooftop Solar, those interesting looking solar panels on top of residential and commercial roofs. How does rooftop solar work and how could it benefit your house or factory?
Rooftop […]
Summary: MWh is the abbreviation for Mega Watt Hours. A MWh equals 1000 Kilo Watt Hours (kWh), where a kWh one unit of electricity
What is a megawatt hour (MWh), and what is its relevance to solar power?
A MWh refers to 1000 units of electricity, where one unit of electricity is 1 kWh.
The term Mega usually […]
Summary: Feed-in-tariff (FiT) is a special price paid by the electricity utility to power generators for the power the generators feed into the grid.
World over, governments offer Feed-in-tariffs to encourage businesses and house-owners to put up solar power plants. What is a feed-in-tariff, and how do they enable the growth of solar power?
A feed-in-tariff is provided […]
Summary: A solar inverter is the brain for a solar power plant.
While the solar panels are the most visible part of a solar power plant, the component that actually “administers” the entire power plant is the solar inverter. What are the different types of solar inverters, and how do they work?
An inverter’s core function is to convert direct current […]