Energy and/or power (e.g. solar, wireless power transfer, transformers, wind generation, etc.) - Essay Example

(National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources, 2005, p.2) However there are serious risks involved in a nuclear facility and handling radioactive material is a sophisticated task. In this context other forms of energy like solar energy and wind energy have gained prominence. The benefits include saving the environment from further destruction, maintaining ecological balance with the region, providing a clean source of energy and providing energy to rural areas where conventional energy cannot be resourced.

Since energy from the sun is available abundantly, expertise lies in harnessing this energy effectively. The primary factors involve capturing and converting this solar energy for efficient storage. It is estimated that about 1000 Watts/ square metre fall on the earth’s surface on an average since this is dependent on environmental conditions (National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources, 2005, p.5) and the climate. A photovoltaic cell (PV) is ideally used to tap into this light energy and convert it into electrical energy.

This is a simple process in which the captured sunlight releases electrons on striking the silicon material. The electrons thus displaced create a hole with a positive charge. (Lewis Nathan and Nocera Daniel, 2006, p. 6801)The released electrons are then made to travel back to these holes via an external circuit thereby generating current. Solar cells can be arranged in series or in parallel to obtain the required voltage and current. A PV module consists of a number of unified solar cells that are transfixed between a weatherproof casing at the back and glass cover at the top.

These modules can be fixed into aluminium frames that can be arranged as desired to obtain the desired voltage output. Since there are no moving parts in a photovoltaic cell, it is more robust and reliable. While solar cells can