Solar Energy in Colombia

Solar energy is useful energy produced by the sun in the form of electrical or thermal energy.  using photovoltaic cells to generate electricity, solar energy is commonly used in thermal applications to heat indoor spaces or liquids. Residential and commercial property owners can install solar hot water systems and design their buildings with passive solar heating in order to take full advantage of solar energy through solar technology.       

 

Interestedin using solar energy in colombia? Solar panels are installed on three main scales: residential, commercial and utility. Domestic- scale solar panels are usually installed on rooftops or in open areas (above ground) and typically range from 5 to 20 kilowatts (kW), depending on the size of the property. Commercial solar projects are usually installed on a larger scale than residential solar projects. While individual installations can vary greatly in size, commercial solar power serves a single purpose: to provide solar power locally to businesses and non-profit organizations.Finally, solar projects for utilities tend to be large installations of several megawatts (MW) that provide solar power to a large number of utility customers.   

For some solar buyers who may not be able to install a solar panel on their property, communal solar is a viable solar energy option that links utility-scale solar projects more directly with residential customers. Thus, public solar farms are usually built in the center rather than on the territory of any individual client. Residential consumers can sign up for a public solar project to reap many of the benefits of solar energy without installing solar panels on their property.      

How does solar energy work?

A solar panel (also known as a solar module) is made up of a layer of silicon cells, a metal frame, a glass casing block, and wiring for transmitting electrical current from the silicon. Silicon (atomic number 14 on the periodic table) is a non-metal with conductive properties that allow it to absorb and convert sunlight into useful electricity. When light hits the silicon cell, the light causes the electrons in the silicon to move, initiating an electric current flow. This is known as the " photovoltaic effect " and describes the general functionality of solar panels.     

The science of generating electricity from solar panels boils down to this photovoltaic effect.

The photovoltaic panels process consists of the following main steps:

1. A silicon photovoltaic solar cell absorbs solar radiation.

2  , The wires capture and feed this direct current (DC) electricity to the solar inverter to convert it into alternating current (AC) electricity.

A brief history of solar energy

 

 Although previously solar energy was captured and converted into usable energy in various ways, it was not until 1954 that solar energy began to become a viable source of electricity to power devices for extended periods of time. The first solar panels convert solar radiation into electricity at 4 percent efficiency - for reference, many widely available solar panels today can convert sunlight into solar energy at temperatures above 20 percent efficiency, and the number is growing steadily.           

While solar energy adoption was slow at first, a number of state and federal incentives and policies have reduced the cost of solar panels significantly enough to make them more widespread. Currently, solar energy is sufficient to power 11 million of the 126 million households in the  country.

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