Section 11:

Direct Solar Energy

https://www.visitgrandforks.com/event-calendar/2013-sunshine-fest/01-26-2013

65.In what two ways do direct solar power systems typically generate electricity?

• photovoltaic (PV) cells, the type commonly seen on homes and commercial buildings

• large-scale solar concentrating systems focus sunlight with mirrors to heat a liquid that boils water, creating steam to turn a turbine to create electricity

photovoltaic panels on a New Mexico high school roof

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/02/17_solar.shtml

SOLAR PANEL ROOF TILEShttp://inhabitat.com/solar-panel-roof-tiles/

One of the world’s largest solar-powered stadiums can be found in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan and is affectionately known as the ‘Dragon’ stadium due to its scale like appearance. Originally built to host the 2009 World Games and now home to the local football team, the vast, twisting metallic structure incorporates 8,844 photovoltaic panels on its roof

http://www.yoursunyourenergy.com/photovoltaics-in-sports-stadiums-around-the-world.htm

66. Where might one find photovoltaic (PV) cells used? on homes and commercial buildingsList one type of semiconducting materials. silicon How does light create an electric current? when light hits the cells, the material produces free electrons that migrate across the cell, creating an electric currentHow does a large-scale solar concentrating system work? focuses sunlight with mirrors to heat a liquid that boils water, creating steam to turn a turbineHow can solar energy be used for residential water heating? by circulating household water or a heat-carrying fluid through roof-mounted solar collection systems

The collectors of the Parabolic trough plants use a computerized single-axis solar tracking system, that tracks the sun from sunrise to sunset.

Concentrating Solar Power Systemshttp://www.intechopen.com/books/new-trends-in-technologies/new-developments-in-large-scale-solar-energy-conversion

http://papundits.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/vista_aerea.jpg

Concentrating Solar Power Plant

67. Concentrating solar power is best suited for power plants in areas with these two atmospheric conditions. strong sunlight and clear skies What parts of the USA are more suited for solar power plants? southwestern United States PV cells are used widely as power supplies in electronic consumer goods such as hand-held calculators. It would take more than 25 square kilometers of standard photovoltaic cells to generate the same amount of electric power as a large coal-fired power plant.

http://www.solarfeeds.com/top-7-uses-of-photovoltaic-panels/

The future of PV cells

Ford's C-MAX Solar Energi Concept hybrid vehicle has a rooftop solar panel system that uses a Fresnel lens to concentrate sunlight onto the solar cells to boost the sunlight impact by a factor of eight.

http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1320531

Future Solar Cars

68. Are residential PV systems now available? Yes What are needed to make solar energy cost-competitive on a larger scale? further gains in efficiency and reductions in the cost of manufacturing PV cells