A solar collector is a system made to capture sunlight and transform it into a practical source of energy. Solar Collectors are of two types which are photovoltaic (PV) collectors, which directly converts sunlight into electricity, and solar thermal collectors, which convert sunlight into heat.
What they are: A bunch of connected solar cells put on a support structure.What they do: Make electricity for homes, businesses, and industries.
What they are: Special solar material put on a base, often more bendy and lighter than regular solar panels.What they do: Used in small electronic devices.
What they are: Systems using lenses or mirrors to aim sunlight onto small, super-efficient PV cells.What they do: Good for places with a lot of direct sunlight, like big solar farms.
What they are: Have a flat, dark plate that catches sunlight, covered with a see-through cover.What they do: Often used to heat water for homes and businesses.
What they are: Dish-shaped mirrors that focus sunlight onto a point where it's collected.What they do: Good for making electricity and in big industries.
What they are: Use mirrors or lenses to aim sunlight onto a small spot, making really high temperatures for different uses.What they do: Used in power plants for making electricity and in industries.
In a solar collector system, a heat transfer fluid serves as a vital element that aids in efficiently capturing, transporting, and utilizing solar energy.
In solar collectors like flat-plate or concentrating collectors, the surface exposed to sunlight is designed to absorb solar radiation. The heat transfer fluid moves through or around this absorber surface, absorbing solar energy and gaining heat in the process.
After absorbing solar energy, the heat transfer fluid circulates through the collector system. This circulation is often assisted by a pump, ensuring a continuous flow of the fluid.
The heated heat transfer fluid then proceeds to a heat exchanger or storage system, releasing its thermal energy. In certain systems, the heat transfer fluid directly imparts its heat to a medium (such as air or water) that is used for space heating or domestic hot water.
The tracking mechanism of a solar collector denotes a system or device designed to modify the orientation or position of the collector, optimizing its exposure to sunlight throughout the day. The objective of a tracking system is to guarantee the most effective sunlight reception by the solar collector, thereby enhancing its overall efficiency in harnessing solar energy.
The primary objective of a tracking system is to maximize the solar collector's exposure to sunlight by tracing the apparent movement of the sun across the sky.
Photovoltaic (PV) cells, commonly referred to as solar cells, are instruments engineered to directly convert sunlight into electrical energy.
PV cells are crafted from semiconductor materials, predominantly crystalline silicon. These materials possess the capability to transform sunlight into an electric current through the photovoltaic effect.
The photovoltaic effect describes the mechanism through which PV cells transmit sunlight into electricity. When sunlight, in the form of photons, impacts the semiconductor material, it energizes electrons, generating an electric current.
PV cells is designed to absorb sunlight spanning the entire solar spectrum. While silicon-based cells exhibit optimal effectiveness in the visible light range, ongoing advancements are geared toward augmenting absorption in other parts of the spectrum.
