The sun, the most abundant source of energy around the world has been at the center of mankind’s endeavor to achieve a sustainable energy endowment. While the organizations are struggling with the problems of climate change and scarcity of fossil fuels, the advanced techniques in the field of solar energy conversion help in converting a blur dream into a tangible reality.
Another significant move in solar energy is the arrival of the perovskite solar cells. These cells are all light, flexible and they have huge efficiency, which contributes to further enhancing the ability to collect solar power. Compared to conventional silicon based panels, perovskite cells are cheaper to produce and can be easily coated on any surface starting from the rooftops of houses to car body. Unfortunately this versatility comes at more cost, but it also means that the domestication of solar energy is now possible in ways it was not before.
The developments include floating solar farms, also known as floatovoltaics. This kind of systems involve placing of solar panels in places like reservoirs, lakes or coastal region. Floatovoltaics overcome some of the land use issues inherent in building solar power plants and, at the same time, they conserve water since evaporation is low on water surfaces as compared to land.
Moreover, storage technologies used in connection with solar energy have also improved over time. A drawback of solar power that has been majorly eliminated with advanced battery technologies is that excess electricity generated during sunny day can now be saved for use during night or during rainy days. High performance solar panels coupled with sound batteries, coupled with a customer’s grid have made energy independence a possibility.
In greater terms, solar concentrators are revolutionizing renewable power production. Such systems harness light from sun using mirrors or lens, focuses them on a particular section to generate heat power that turns turbines and produce electricity. CSP plants are more efficient when they are located where there is a lot of sun; this type of energy can also utilize thermal storage and create energy during the night.
Apart from technology, solar energy is improving the efficiency of energy supplier in smart grid integration. Smart grids than work also with algorithms and data measurements to balance electricity supply and demand, so that the generated solar power is used effectively and energy loss is minimized.
The latter is the development of solar energy technology where innovations are expected to put solar energy as part of the basic building block of the global energy mix. Through creating awareness and funding of these modern solutions, solar power can be used to power the future for generations. It is a giant and has untapped potential for development, and the best time to exploit it is now.
