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India being a tropical country, the potential for
tapping the solar energy is abundant. The potential
for solar energy in India is estimated at 5000 Trillion
units per year. Amongst the several renewable energy
technologies, solar energy has gained immense popularity,
mainly due to the economic viability.
Recent trends in Solar Energy
Solar Tracking Mechanisms
The latest generation of solar heating technology
consists of collectors (mirrors or parabolic dishes)
that can move and track the sun depending on the time.
This mechanism is also being used for concentrated
lighting in buildings.
High efficiency Photovoltaic Cells
Power generation systems using photovoltaic materials
have the advantage of no moving parts.
PV Cells find applications in
- Satellites & space vehicles,
- Community Street Lights / TV's,
- Community water pumping,
- Areas where the terrains make it difficult to
supply the Grid power.
The efficiency of Solar Photovoltaic cells, with single
crystal silicon is
about 13 %.
High efficiency cells with Concentrators, are being
manufactured which can operate with lower sunlight
intensities or only a fewer cells can deliver a given
amount of power.
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