PV Gap

Jorge Said:

where do I get monocrystalline silicon?

We Answered:

You can contact M.SESTEK (the world largest monocrystalline silicon provider) at http://www.msetek.com/en/products/index.… to find out who might be a distributor in your area.
You can also check places like alibaba.com to find who deals in it. And finally, check with semi.org for people who deal in it.

Lillian Said:

How much energy can solar panel produce?

We Answered:

The link below is a very good place to start. It has a lot of information and there are many good links as well.

Monocrystalline cells typically convert about 15% - 22% of the light that hits them to electricity. The variations depend upon details of the construction of the cell.

Polycrystalline cells typically convert between about 10% - about 15% of the light to electricity, again cell design and also silicon quality affect the energy output.

Amorphous silicon cells have production values near that of polycrystalline silicon.

Vaporware is a sarcastic name for PV technologies that are under development but not yet shipping.

Solar panels are used all year around. They are only efficient if they receive direct sunshine and therefore produce very little power under cloudy conditions or if shaded.

Interestingly it is the light that produces electricity and heat actually will interfere with electricity production so solar panels used in very hot climates are less efficient than sunny but cold climates.

Is S'pore Singapore?

Singapore is very hot all year around because it is locate on the equator. I have never been there but I have been told that it is also very cloudy in Singapore. It that is true then Singapore will not be a very good place for solar panels.

Terrence Said:

Which is the least expensive, yet still very efficient, type of solar panel?

We Answered:

Inexpensive and efficient are at odds with one another.

Polycrystalline panels are what most people choose for residential installations. Here is an example: http://sunelec.com/index.php?main_page=i…

I believe that vendor also has amorphous silicon panels for sale. Be warned, though, that amorphous panels degrade quickly, and the low price is not always a good deal when you consider how long they will last.

Ray Said:

how much w/kw would 100 of these solar panel produce in a day?

We Answered:

The maximum power point voltage of these cells is just over 0.5 volts. That is the optimum value to harvest the most power from the cell. This will require managment either electrically, physicaly or both to get max voltage from the cell. If you just place this cell in the sun you will not necessarily get this full capacity but rather at a significant performace reduction if the system is not properly designed.

The issue is properly matching the panel to the load so that the load doesn't pull down the panel voltage and lower the resulting power output. So if you just chucked a bunch of these cells together
you will get voltage but not necessarliy the full power that you paid for. You could loose a 1/3 to 1/2 of power capability of the cell.
http://www.windsun.com/ChargeControls/MP…

Steve Said:

Who is selling solar panels in the Philippines?

We Answered:

Haliburton. Cheney's getting rich.

Paula Said:

How do I build my own solar cells?

We Answered:

You don't... You need a very expensive setup to make solar/photovoltaic cells. You have to be able to do complex chemical reactions and processes with materials that you'd probably have a hard time getting in the first place. And even if you could, they probably wouldn't be very efficient. There is a reason why you have to pay big money for very efficient solar cells and "very efficient" right now is somewhere around 20%. There was a record set that reached 40% I think, but that is uncommon.