What is Solar: Definition and 1000 Discussions

Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and solar tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic effect.Photovoltaics were initially solely used as a source of electricity for small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to remote homes powered by an off-grid rooftop PV system. Commercial concentrated solar power plants were first developed in the 1980s. As the cost of solar electricity has fallen, the number of grid-connected solar PV systems has grown into the millions and gigawatt-scale photovoltaic power stations are being built. Solar PV is rapidly becoming an inexpensive, low-carbon technology to harness renewable energy from the Sun. The current largest photovoltaic power station in the world is the Pavagada Solar Park, Karnataka, India with a generation capacity of 2050 MW.The International Energy Agency projected in 2014 that under its "high renewables" scenario, by 2050, solar photovoltaics and concentrated solar power would contribute about 16 and 11 percent, respectively, of worldwide electricity consumption, and solar would be the world's largest source of electricity. Most solar installations would be in China and India. In 2019, solar power generated 2.7% of the world's electricity, growing over 24% from the previous year. As of October 2020, the unsubsidised levelised cost of electricity for utility-scale solar power is around $36/MWh.

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  1. T

    Intensity of solar radiation at earth orbit

    Homework Statement I am try to understand how the value of 1370 watts per metre squared for the intensity of sunlight hitting the Earth has been derived. Is there a way to see this mathematically? Homework Equations I understand about how the intensity is related to Poyntings vector, by...
  2. W

    How sure can we be of the distances in the solar system?

    And directly related to that: How can we be sure of the speed of light? I've been searching for a good answer as to how we measure the SOL and am yet to have someone give me a solid explanation. Today we shine a laser at a mirror on the moon and time how long it takes to get back. What it...
  3. T

    Best Method of Focusing Solar Power

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  4. J

    Investigating the Effects of Reflected Sun Light on Solar Cell Output

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  5. D

    Consider a planet in some solar system which has a mass double

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  6. T

    Maximizing Solar Radiation Heat Transfer on High Altitude Materials

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  7. P

    Stargazing How can I safely view a solar eclipse?

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  8. C

    Pool heat gain by solar radiation versus heat loss by evaporation

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  9. S

    Energy Generation Coefficient in a 50 Solar mass Main Sequence star

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  10. J

    Maximizing Energy Efficiency to Passive Solar House Design

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  11. S

    Electrical Solar panel thickness to avoid breaking DIY

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  12. S

    Solar system on my date of Birth

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  13. S

    Exploring Solutions for Space-Based Solar Power: Cost, Transmission, and Storage

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  14. F

    Harnessing Solar Energy to Provide Power & Water

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  15. E

    Using Black holes to view our solar system

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  16. A

    Our solar system and center of Milky way

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  17. T

    Boiling Water via New Solar Panel Method

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  18. U

    Can Laser-Pushed Solar Sails Achieve Near Light Speed by Circling Back?

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  19. V

    Effects of dark energy on our solar system

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  20. W

    The highest temperature reachable using the solar light as an energy source

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  21. J

    What percentage of solar energy is converted to solar neutrinos?

    what % of solar energy is converted to solar neutrinos, assuming energy released in all forms per unit time , say 1 second as 100%?
  22. J

    What percentage of solar energy is converted to solar neutrinos?

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  23. Y

    CPC and Fresnel Lenses for Solar Cell Power

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  24. P

    Dollar Store Pumpkin Light Solar Conversion

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  25. T

    Solar vs Lunar Tides: Explaining the Difference

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  26. L

    Solar irradiation on the Earth as a function of latitude.

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  27. S

    How to describe position of our solar system to some ETI in other galaxy?

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  28. Wallis

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  29. K

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  30. D

    Effect of Solar Storms on the Grid and Nuke Plants?

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  31. A

    Calculating Solar Energy Generation from GHI, DNI, and DHI Data

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  32. B

    Building a tester for solar cell efficiency

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  33. N

    Is Residential Solar Power a No-Cost Solution for Homeowners?

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  34. M

    How Does a Solar Cell Operate in Forward Bias?

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  35. Spinnor

    Measuring Neutrino Oscillations in a Solar Neutrino Rest Frame

    If I moved in the rest frame of a solar neutrino would I still measure neutrino oscillations? Thank you for any help!
  36. baywax

    Teen uses Fibonacci sequence to make solar energy breakthrough

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  37. J

    Parking System Uses Solar Power to Charge Electric Vehicles

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  38. J

    Effect of Moon's Orbital Speed on Frequency of Solar Eclipses

    A question from Chaisson & McMillan's "A Beginner's Guide to the Universe" is as follows: If the Moon orbited Earth twice as fast, but in the same orbit, the frequency of solar eclipses would (a) double; (b) be cut in half; (c) stay the same. The answer key states that the correct answer...
  39. S

    Visibility of a solar shade from a planetary surface

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  40. Astronuc

    Solar Flare & CME: August 9, 2011 X6.9 Flare

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  41. J

    Solar-Based Project: Making a Steam Engine to Generate Power

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  42. Dotini

    Alfven Waves Drive Coronal Heat + Solar Wind

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  43. C

    Variation of sea water temperature as a function of air, and solar intensity

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  44. C

    What will be the Combined value of solar absorptivity?

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  45. D

    Optimal Tilt Angle of Solar Array

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  46. A

    Absorption and solar radiation spectra

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  47. B

    Seeding a Solar System Simulation

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  48. Y

    Can Graphene Be Effectively Used in Solar Sails?

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  49. J

    How accurate are simple models of the solar system?

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  50. T

    Where Can I Find Accurate Data for Simulating Solar System Orbits in Java?

    Hi, i'm attempting to simulate the Solar System in Java. I'm particularly interested in simulating orbits of celestial bodies that might enter our solar system. Therefore I need real data for my simulation. That is: x,y,z coordinates of planets with respect to the Sun (taking the sun to...
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