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Solar energy is a major part of tomorrow's global energy supplies. Energy demand continue to encourage the deployment of solar electricity and distributed generation resources for the electricity generation market.
Solar energy is the most abundant resource on this Earth. Each second, the sun releases an enormous amount of radiant energy into the solar system. The Earth receives a tiny fraction of this energy; still, an average of 1367 watts (W) reaches each square meter (m2) of the outer edge of the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere absorbs and reflects some of this radiation, including most X-rays and ultraviolet rays. Still, the amount of sunshine energy that hits the surface of the Earth every minute is greater than the total amount of energy that the world's human population consumes in a year!
Although the quantity of solar radiation striking the Earth varies by region, season, time of day, climate, and air pollution, the yearly amount of energy striking almost any part of the Earth is vast.
Reliable, maintenance free and emission free
PV systems are easy to install, they require no fuel, they have no moving parts and therefore require very little or no maintenance. Because of these inherent features, solar power systems reliably power some of the world's most sensitive applications, from space satellites to microwave stations in mountainous and other remote, harsh environments. Solar power is also the only generation resource that is emission -free and along with providing energy helps keep the environment cleaner.
Renewable and fuel free
PV generation technology utilizes sunshine as a renewable energy source. Solar electric power systems can provide the advantages of other distributed generation systems without the need for any fuel infrastructure or land use restrictions.
With the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in NYC and Washington and escalating concerns related to central power plant and related infrastructure safety, PV is expected to become a distributed generation technology that will play an increasing role in ensuring energy security for electric customers.
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