Copyright (c) 2010 Aaron Dicks

There are talks around the world about using solar energy as the means to fuel the economies. But is it really possible? Before understanding what PV is, let us see the current scenario of our planet.

For thousands of years, animals and plants' remains that were buried in the earth were subjected to very high temperature and pressure. The resultant as known to humans was petroleum and coal. Now, we know what it takes to produce the two main sources of energy, so, can you think of any way to reproduce them so that we can meet the daily requirements? No matter how advance we are or how many improvements we see in our sciences, we can never produce the two main sources of energy.

The reason is clear; we can not wait for thousands of years, we have no means to collect animal and plant residual in such great quantity, we can not subject them to artificial high temperature and pressure and hence, the task is impossible. Furthermore, since we were kids, we have been taught that coal and petroleum are non-renewable sources and also that they are in a limited quantity on earth. So, this implies that sooner or later chances are that we will run out of fuel! Can you imagine the world then? No electricity, petrol, gas etc to do the daily jobs!

Fortunately the great thinkers of every country, scientists, noticed this fact and hence, started working on methods to find an alternative to combat this problem. One thing that is known to all is that sun is the ultimate source of energy that is renewable in every sense too! So, methods to capture and transform solar energy into other types of energies like electricity and heat were invented. One such device is solar PV. Solar PV stands for Photovoltaic.

The basic task of solar PV is to collect solar energy and then convert it into electric energy. The very name Photovoltaic implies the underlying principle as well as its working. PV generally consists of silicon semiconductor cells that are connected to each other. It is covered with glass for providing insulation. The heat energy is an input for PV while electricity is the output. This means that a solar panel take off the burden of your electricity bills and lower it considerably, if you employ a solar PV or an array of PV at your home.

This will result in generating energy on your own from a renewable source. Consider the benefits here. Using solar devices will decrease the consumption of fossil fuels. Furthermore, the countries that depend on others for these fuels will have their own source of energy as solar PV can be manufactured and used anywhere on this earth. Finally, solar energy is completely free from poisonous or greenhouse gases and residuals. Not only this, you can make use of PV and store electric energy for future usage as well. You don't need to wait for sun rise for doing so. Solar PV therefore, is a great invention that is for everyone alike and very beneficial too!