It’s just been almost a decade since the inception of Solar energy all across the globe. Previously people relied too much on nonrenewable resources to produce electricity. It is when everyone realized that non-renewable resources would not last forever and that many of these sources had side effects like pollution which kept degrading the environment as well as the atmosphere.
Since its founding, the solar industry has been growing at a steady pace. One of the main disadvantages of it was it wasn’t efficient enough. Another one was that it was costly to set up. Since then, we have come a long way in improving its efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Currently the solar panels available can be from 20-40% efficient in absorbing the sunlight and turning it into electricity.
The material they currently use in making solar cells is wafer-thin slices of silicon crystals which is mostly made in the regions of China and Taiwan. Though the majority of the cells used today are of this material scientist have recently started to mix up other materials along with this in order to improve the efficiency of the panels. If the tests are successful it means that we will be able to get better solar panels with an efficiency of almost 47%, at cheaper prices as the materials used will vary. This is the kind of boost the solar industry needs as more and more people will start using this energy to produce sufficient electricity not just for themselves but they will be able to share it with others as well.
The current life span of a solar panel is around 20 years and with the new recycling techniques, the cells after the period of use can be disposed of safely.
Many countries these days focus on improving and adopting solar energy as sunlight is a never-dying source of energy (Renewable) and the energy is clean with no side effects. With the above improvements, people will gain more than what they get while using other nonrenewable sources of energy. Also, since it is clean energy, the earth’s atmosphere can recuperate and heal at a faster pace, thereby controlling the rapid climate changes caused due to the ultraviolet rays entering the earth.
Image credit:euroscientist.com
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