PV Gap

Miriam Said:

can solar panels be used to directly power an electric motor?

We Answered:

Yes, absolutely. I remember my dad had a gimmick hat that had a small solar panel (1x2") powering a small fan motor aimed at the forehead to keep the wearer cool.

The trick is to wire enough cells in series to make the voltage needed.

Eddie Said:

Is oil and potash used in the manufacture of solar panels?

We Answered:

Indeed they are.

What solar advocates neglect to mention is that the amount of energy used to mine and manufacture the panels exceeds the amount of energy the panels will generate over their lifetime.

Bit of an eye opener, eh?

Of course, I am not saying there are no good applications for solar panels. What I am saying is that solar energy is not necessarily the environmental panacea some try to tell us it is.

Maria Said:

in which country mostly solar panels used?

We Answered:

Germany has become the global leader in electricity generated through solar panels. It produces about half of the world’s total solar electricity.

Germany adopted a law in 2000 that requires the country’s immense power companies to subsidize new solar companies by buying electricity from them at marked-up rates. In 2002, Germans installed more than 10,000 solar panel systems. In 2003, they installed some 20,000 solar panel systems, almost twice the number installed the previous year. This growth continued in 2004. In 2005, Germany was the fastest growing major solar panel market in the world.

As of May 2007, 15 of the 20 biggest solar panel plants in the world are in Germany, even though Germany has only half as many sunny days as countries such as Portugal. The German government decided to phase out all of its nuclear power plants by 2020.
--------------------------

That article is from the website below in the source..it was 2007 ..So unless some other countries have overtaken germany in this field since then The answer is germany...

There is more information on what other countries use a lot of solar panels on that link below ..

Casey Said:

When were solar panels first USED?

We Answered:

Some brief histories of solar energy use and solar panels:

http://www.southface.org/solar/solar-roa…

http://www.alternate-energy-sources.com/…

Charlotte Said:

solar panels - modern used them ? costs ?

We Answered:

I like Suntech, Mitsubishi, and Sharp, in that order, for value. We have Mitsubishi on our house, but only because Suntech wasn't available at the time.

The cost really depends a lot on where you live, and how much electricity you use. The best way to get a feel for what you need is to contact a local solar installer - just check the phone book. We paid $12,000 for a 3000-watt system, after rebates and credits. Today, you can probably do better.