The technical term for solar power systems is Photovoltaic Systems or PV systems. The word “photovoltaic” is derived from two words: “photo,” which means “light,” and “volt,” a measurement of electric power. In simplest terms, a photovoltaic system is a configuration that collects energy from sunlight and turns it into electric power. Here is a simplified explanation of the whole process.
Most PV systems start off with a method of collecting the sun’s energy. This is usually achieved using solar panels that are made to take in the sun’s energy once exposed to the sun’s rays. Most solar cells today are efficient enough that they don’t have to have direct sunlight to gather energy (although they obviously are most effective in times of direct sun); they can even gather some energy on cloudy days.
After the solar cells collect the sun’s energy, the photovoltaic system not gets to work by transforming this raw energy to electricity, which you can now use in your home or business establishment. PV systems are examples of standalone systems which stores unused energy in electric batteries. At present, homes and business establishments utilizing solar energy can remain connected with the local power grid because their PV system can be tied to it. Thus, unused electricity can be fed back through the wiring into the local power grid, which essentially means that the local electric company “stores” the electricity your PV system provides-eliminating the need for storage batteries. In setups like these, the electric company credits you for any electricity you feed into the grid.
Although photovoltaic systems are eco-friendly, it is fairly obvious that there will be days when you will be able to gather excessive amounts of energy and some days when you can hardly gather some energy. In standalone systems, especially, there is often a need to hybridize the system-in other words, to include an alternate power source for those rare occasions when the solar cells aren’t gathering enough energy to match the usage. In most cases with standalone systems, the alternate energy source is a diesel generator, or sometimes biogas. For those who are more committed to renewable energy, the alternate energy source might even be wind. However, if you are a regular homeowner or business owner then you can always settle for the local power company as your alternate source of energy. Because most consumer PV systems are tied to the power grid, the home or business simply starts drawing from the power grid when the system is not producing enough solar energy.
Hopefully, this short discussion will help you better understand the function of the photovoltaic systems. While these systems rely on the amount of daylight available, adaptations can be made to make solar energy a reliable energy source.