PV Gap

George Said:

Before Einstein, gravitational contraction appeared to be a plausible mechanism for solar energy generation.?

We Answered:

Before Einstein, energy conversion was not well understood and one of the theories for Solar Energy was as a result of gravity compressing the volume of the Sun as a means to make it heat up and shine.

Science had already pointed to an age for the Earth of millions or hundreds of millions of years, and science had no way of explaining how the Sun could be powered for that long of a time.

When Einstein figured out how energy could be released in nuclear reactions, The Sun could be shown to be able to shine for many billions of years.

Before this was known, gravitational energy was the best candidate, but could not cause the Sun to shine for nearly as long as the Earth's age.

While Eddington may have guessed that fusion could be a source before Einstein, Einstein showed how it was possible. You can't say, "That fusion thing makes sense, lets go with that," without knowing how such a process works, or how much energy it would produce. It took Einstein to nail it.

That statement of yours makes perfect sense to me.

Vincent Said:

I need a website that adds the cost and energy generation of solar panels?

We Answered:

You're looking for RoofRay - http://www.roofray.com/

You can outline the roof, tell it the pitch, and it will figure out how much area you have available for solar panels and what they might produce in your area, assuming no shading issues.

You can also put in utility bills, and it will give you an estimate of savings, ROI, etc.

pvwatts, http://www.nrel.gov/rredc/pvwatts/ - can also run simulations on power output but lacks the fancy array-drawing tool.

Willie Said:

What are the methods of Solar Energy electricty generation?

We Answered:

Solar powered steam turbines are used by utilities.
Photo cells are coming down in price but have along way to go.

Mathew Said:

which country is leading in generation of solar energy ? what are the courses available to learn solar energy?

We Answered:

Three countries are leading in soler energy generation viz.Germany,Japan,USA.Over 90% of the worldwide solar panel production is sold in these three countries. The primary reason for this is because the incentives provided by these countries, Germany in particular. However, comparing to the use of other forms of electricity, the solar energy utilization is still very very small.
Courses available.
Renewable Energy for the Developing World -online
Duration: 6 Week
Start Date February 1, 2010
End Date: March 14, 2010
visit the site-www.solarenergy.org