How Solar Energy Is Issued & Produced

Photovoltaics

• The process of taking energy directly from the sun by converting light into an electric current is "photovoltaics." It works on the principle of the photoelectric effect. Thin film, crystallized silicon and amorphous cells are all devices that help produce energy this way. Some solar cell power plants can produce large amounts of energy, like one of the world's most productive plants, the Serpa power plant in Portugal. It has a capacity of 11 megawatts, according to Green Energy Financial Services.

Concentrating Solar Power

• CSP produces usable energy from sunlight using a system of lenses and mirrors that focus the initial, broad beam of light into a narrower beam. The heat produced by CSP is used in conventional power plants to generate electricity, which can then be issued to industry, business and domestic suppliers. The parabolic trough is the most common type of CSP system, and efforts are being made to make the technology cost-effective, as explained in a 2011 report by CSP Today.

Supply

• Getting energy from sunlight is only part of the process of effective solar power generation. Places that require the most electricity for heating and cooking are often colder, so solar energy has to be transmitted farther. For industrial and domestic users to benefit from the power being produced, they have to receive it through their country's electricity grid. It needs to be reliable, cost-effective, sustainable and supplementary to existing forms of energy.

Deployment Incentives

• How much investment a country puts into developing solar technologies depends on the country's economic incentives. Long distance transmission of solar energy costs a lot of money, but if a government is willing to pay an incentive to the supplier, those costs can be met and the energy can be supplied at a cost benefit even in remote, cold areas. India is an example of how governmental and business subsidies and support have played a major part in securing solar technology. India is an ideal solar market, claims Russell Hasan of "Alte News."