Solar Technology Basics!

Do you know that the amount of energy from sunlight that reaches the earth’s surface in an hour and a half is enough to accommodate the entire world’s energy consumption for a full year?

Thanks to constantly improving technologies, solar energy has an incredible potential for powering our daily lives.

Photovoltaic systems come in all shapes and sizes. Residential systems are found on rooftops across Cyprus, and companies are also opting to install photovoltaic panels to offset their energy costs.

There are two main types of solar energy technologies, photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies. You probably know the most about PV which is used in panels. When the sun shines onto a solar panel, the cells in the panel absorb photons from the sunlight, thus creating an electric field across the layers and causing electricity to flow.

The second technology is Concentrating Solar Power or CSPs. It is mainly used in large power plants and is not suitable for residential use. This technology uses mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight on receivers that collect and convert solar energy to heat than can then be used to generate electricity.