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| The new millennium |
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We all live in the new Millennium, an era of fast moving human development, coupled with even faster moving technological achievements. The PV Solar Energy industry is on a growth line that no other modern day industry compares to. What is PV Solar Energy? The word photovoltaic is a marriage of the words “Ephoto”, which means
light, and “Evoltaic”, which refers to the production of electricity.
Photovoltaic technology generates electricity from light. Electricity is the
existence (either static or flowing) of negatively charged particles called
electrons. |
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Certain materials, called semi-conductors, can be adapted to release electrons when they are exposed to light. One of the most common of these materials is silicon (an element found in, amongst other things, sand), which is the main material in 98% of solar PV cells made today. All PV cells have at least two layers of such semiconductors: one that is positively charged and one that is negatively charged. When light shines on the semi-conductor, the electric field across the junction between these two layers causes electricity to flow - the greater the intensity of the light, the greater the flow of electricity. |
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