How do solar panels work? - Richard Komp
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Date: 2020-08-22
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Comments and reviews: 10
Seeker. 87
The video is decent in my opinion, but it neglects something centrally important in the discussion of the role of solar power in the energy industry. The sought-after widespread use of solar power is partly limited by the effectiveness of solar power in comparison to other sources of energy. Fossil fuels, for example, produce pollution that we tend to be very cognizant of, but their dominance over solar power in the market has to do with more than just political factors, or some sort of conspiratorial greed. Every power source has costs and benefits, and the difference between the costs and benefits is what determines how useful the power source really is. Before considering the pollution, fossil fuels, i. e. coal burning power plants, are a far more efficient and therefore superior source of energy, due to the nature of fossil fuels. They are basically natural chemical batteries, stored energy from thousands of years of photosynthesis from great forests of long dead plants, and this energy is very concentrated, very easy to release and put to work via burning, and fairly cost effective to dig up from the earth's crust. If fossil fuels were not so very efficient compared to solar power, they would naturally lose out in the market, but we know that's not the case.
So there are three things that can change for solar power to become the dominant energy source. One is that solar technology can improve faster than fossil fuel technology, so that it eventually overtakes it and becomes more efficient, the cost of pollution aside. The second thing that can happen is that the cost of locating and mining for fossil fuels makes them prohibitively expensive, as we begin to use up all that nature has stored for us in the earth's crust. The third thing is purely political: that we re-think the personal responsibility and social expectations that relate to pollution, and work this new understanding into the law.
But whatever we decide to do, the pollution-efficiency of solar power, and the superior energy-efficiency of fossil fuels in all other respects, must both be carefully considered and balanced against each other. We can't just consider one or the other. That the political right frequently engages in wishful thinking about the impact of the pollution of fossil fuels, and the political left just as frequently engages in wishful thinking about the economic inefficiency of solar power, is I think a large part of what sets us talking past each other. There may even be a third alternative to high-pollution fossil fuels and economically inefficient solar power, such as nuclear and hydro-electric power. I think these aren't discussed enough.
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The video is decent in my opinion, but it neglects something centrally important in the discussion of the role of solar power in the energy industry. The sought-after widespread use of solar power is partly limited by the effectiveness of solar power in comparison to other sources of energy. Fossil fuels, for example, produce pollution that we tend to be very cognizant of, but their dominance over solar power in the market has to do with more than just political factors, or some sort of conspiratorial greed. Every power source has costs and benefits, and the difference between the costs and benefits is what determines how useful the power source really is. Before considering the pollution, fossil fuels, i. e. coal burning power plants, are a far more efficient and therefore superior source of energy, due to the nature of fossil fuels. They are basically natural chemical batteries, stored energy from thousands of years of photosynthesis from great forests of long dead plants, and this energy is very concentrated, very easy to release and put to work via burning, and fairly cost effective to dig up from the earth's crust. If fossil fuels were not so very efficient compared to solar power, they would naturally lose out in the market, but we know that's not the case.
So there are three things that can change for solar power to become the dominant energy source. One is that solar technology can improve faster than fossil fuel technology, so that it eventually overtakes it and becomes more efficient, the cost of pollution aside. The second thing that can happen is that the cost of locating and mining for fossil fuels makes them prohibitively expensive, as we begin to use up all that nature has stored for us in the earth's crust. The third thing is purely political: that we re-think the personal responsibility and social expectations that relate to pollution, and work this new understanding into the law.
But whatever we decide to do, the pollution-efficiency of solar power, and the superior energy-efficiency of fossil fuels in all other respects, must both be carefully considered and balanced against each other. We can't just consider one or the other. That the political right frequently engages in wishful thinking about the impact of the pollution of fossil fuels, and the political left just as frequently engages in wishful thinking about the economic inefficiency of solar power, is I think a large part of what sets us talking past each other. There may even be a third alternative to high-pollution fossil fuels and economically inefficient solar power, such as nuclear and hydro-electric power. I think these aren't discussed enough.
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Matthew
Gru is the most powerful being in the universe, and heres why: according to the height of a Minion (which is 3. 5 feet on average) Gru is 4 minions tall, which means he is a godly size of 14 feet tall. Second if any of you remember the original Despicable Me, you Know there is a scene when Vector kidnaps the three girls and shoots a series of heat-seeking misses at Gru, he then dodge them all. According to the speed of an average ballistic missile (1900 mph) and the size of the missile according to his ankle size, Gru can perceive and move at such a speed that the missiles only move 9. 5 miles per hour, 0. 5% of their original speed. Plus after this Gru punches a shark and it is paralyzed meaning its spine is probably shattered, to remind you it would require a force greater than 3, 000 newtons to fracture the spine. Thats equal to the impact created by a 500-pound car crashing into a wall at 30 miles per hour. I rest my case.
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Gru is the most powerful being in the universe, and heres why: according to the height of a Minion (which is 3. 5 feet on average) Gru is 4 minions tall, which means he is a godly size of 14 feet tall. Second if any of you remember the original Despicable Me, you Know there is a scene when Vector kidnaps the three girls and shoots a series of heat-seeking misses at Gru, he then dodge them all. According to the speed of an average ballistic missile (1900 mph) and the size of the missile according to his ankle size, Gru can perceive and move at such a speed that the missiles only move 9. 5 miles per hour, 0. 5% of their original speed. Plus after this Gru punches a shark and it is paralyzed meaning its spine is probably shattered, to remind you it would require a force greater than 3, 000 newtons to fracture the spine. Thats equal to the impact created by a 500-pound car crashing into a wall at 30 miles per hour. I rest my case.
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evening
Would I be right in saying that the energy that gets reflected back into space and not used by the solar panel is energy that would otherwise contribute to heating the planet? So, given that the planet is already too hot and this is causing knock-on problems like the release of methane under the artic, forest fires, melting of permafrost etc, is it not a good thing to have somewhat inefficient solar panels so as to try to directly reduce the heat of the planet?
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Would I be right in saying that the energy that gets reflected back into space and not used by the solar panel is energy that would otherwise contribute to heating the planet? So, given that the planet is already too hot and this is causing knock-on problems like the release of methane under the artic, forest fires, melting of permafrost etc, is it not a good thing to have somewhat inefficient solar panels so as to try to directly reduce the heat of the planet?
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Punchinello
so, the sun shoots photons down at the panel, and the photon either hits or misses the electron, if it hits then you get power generation, if it misses you dont. But if it misses then its still moving right? so can we not double or triple stack these panels to increase the chances of the desired result? so even in places with little light we can maximize our production? im sure someone has thought of this, why dont we do it?
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so, the sun shoots photons down at the panel, and the photon either hits or misses the electron, if it hits then you get power generation, if it misses you dont. But if it misses then its still moving right? so can we not double or triple stack these panels to increase the chances of the desired result? so even in places with little light we can maximize our production? im sure someone has thought of this, why dont we do it?
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pedro97w
What do solar panels produce besides electricity? SHADE. Solar panels should be sited where that shade can be leveraged. (Over parking lots and air-conditioned buildings) Not covering nature's perfect solar collectors which are meadows and pastures.
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What do solar panels produce besides electricity? SHADE. Solar panels should be sited where that shade can be leveraged. (Over parking lots and air-conditioned buildings) Not covering nature's perfect solar collectors which are meadows and pastures.
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Ahasan
The illustration of positive and negative charge formation is misleading (referring to 1: 21, when electrons from N type flows into the P type, it generates a negative charge on the P type and leaves a positive charge on the N type semiconductor.
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The illustration of positive and negative charge formation is misleading (referring to 1: 21, when electrons from N type flows into the P type, it generates a negative charge on the P type and leaves a positive charge on the N type semiconductor.
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Martin
Imagine one day all solar panels and other renewable energy sources are connected together to form an international grid. There will be no more war for fossil fuels.
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Imagine one day all solar panels and other renewable energy sources are connected together to form an international grid. There will be no more war for fossil fuels.
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wizard
if we cover a 6th of the sahara with solar panels it would be enough for the world and it would make to sahara green
for more info check bright side
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if we cover a 6th of the sahara with solar panels it would be enough for the world and it would make to sahara green
for more info check bright side
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Snehashish
1: 19 Positive charges should be on N-side and Negative charges should be on P-side (junction region! Charge shown here is incorrect!
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1: 19 Positive charges should be on N-side and Negative charges should be on P-side (junction region! Charge shown here is incorrect!
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Cyber
I think the main factor is also the maintenance of these solar panels with time to work effectively but the video was useful btw
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I think the main factor is also the maintenance of these solar panels with time to work effectively but the video was useful btw
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