[en] In recent years, photovoltaic industry has achieved some remarkable development in China, This paper presents a summary and review of the present status of terrestrial photovoltaic industry, and tries to look at possible future scenarios in China, the recent progress with laboratory cells is also discussed. Topics covered include the production equipment, fabrication technology of cells and modules, storage battery, solar charge controller, DC/AC inverter, market and national policy. (Author)

[en] Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques are usually used for solar power applications. This paper discusses: (1) various connection methods between solar arrays and loads and (2) various maximum power point control methods and MPPT algorithms. In this paper, the solar array is treated as a current source instead of a voltage source. Analytical models are built for the solar array and converter on the basis of the data sheet of the manufacturer and the principle of energy conservation. An improved MPPT algorithm was proposed to reduce the power loss in the tracking process. A digital signal processor (DSP) based controller was constructed to implement the proposed MPPT control, and the experimental results are presented

[en] Developing countries are faced with large shortfalls of electric-power generation, shortages of usable indigenous fuels, and transportation bottlenecks for those fuels. The loss of revenue that is forced upon the industry due to power cuts and frequent interruptions of power supply is substantial. Renewable sources of energy have an important role to play in providing much needed power in the context of growing global concern about sustainable energy supplies and protecting the environment from the adverse effects of fossil fuel utilization. The purpose of the study is to identify the factors that influence the adoption of solar-based technology. An examination of the literature in the area of diffusion of technology has led to the identification of different variables. The possible relationships that may exist between these variables is depicted in the conceptual framework. This paper attempts to clarify the relationships between the variables that have been identified and the decision to adopt. (Author)

[en] Recent interest in the feasibility and prospects for generating large amounts of electricity from space-based solar power systems is reviewed. The interest is generated by reports which suggest that sun-surfacing solar arrays in stationary earth orbit at an altitude 22,300 miles would not only be unaffected by the Earth's day-night cycle, cloud cover and atmospheric dust, but would also receive some eight times as much sunlight as solar collectors at the Earth's surface. The prediction is that relevant technology will be perfected to the point where by the middle of the 21. century a large share of the world's demand for electricity will be met by a series of very large space-based solar photovoltaic arrays. Several billion watts of power could be beamed to the Earth at microwave radio frequencies for collection by wide area rectifying ground antennas for conversion to electricity via transmitters connected to the photovoltaic arrays. A chronological account of development of this concept of beaming solar power from space shows that the idea has been around since the 1880s, gaining more and more credibility with each advance in space science . The moon, too, has been suggested as an ideal site for developing large-scale solar power systems that beam microwave energy to Earth. The lunar soil could supply silicon to build solar arrays, and metals such as iron and aluminum, for support structures and electric wiring. NASA is actively pursuing this line of inquiry, especially since all the problems involved with solar energy generation on earth, are absent on the moon.While a breakthrough is not imminent, the significant progress achieved to date in demonstrating the feasibility of wireless power transmission from space provides good reason for continuing to pursue this line of investigation

[en] Solar photovoltaics (PV) is one of the promising technologies to provide the most feasible carbon-free route to displacing TW of nonrenewable power consumed worldwide. However, its large-scale implementation is currently economically not feasible because of the high cost as compared to traditional power sources. One of the basic costs for silicon photovoltaic cells is the starting silicon wafer, which requires extensive purification to maintain reasonable performance. Micro-and nanostructured silicon (Si) surfaces are well known for their applications in Si micro-and optoelectronic devices, particularly in solar PV. A particular class of nanostructured Si is black silicon (B-Si), The B-Si concept is a promising approach to eliminate front surface reflection (<2% in broad spectral range omni-directionally) in PV devices without the need for a conventional anti-reflection coatings (ARC). Besides, strong light-trapping can also be achieved for weakly absorbed photons with energies close to the absorption edge of Si which are particularly useful for PV applications and might lead to both an increase in efficiency as well as a reduction in the fabrication costs of solar cells

[en] The use of decentralised renewable energy technologies to provide rural electrification in developing countries has been a common topic of analysis and policy debate for more than two decades. Unfortunately, a lack of empirical evidence about the field performance of these technologies is a significant barrier to making sound policy decisions about them. Compounded by minimal information sharing between stakeholders, this situation has frequently allowed duplication of inefficient policies. This issue is addressed here by providing empirical evidence gathered from field visits and interviews about the largest government subsidised solar battery charging programme in the world. This analysis highlights the different policies of departments responsible and discusses them with specific attention to their technical, social and economic components. Field study results from over 50 villages in the north of Thailand suggest about 60 per cent of these systems are no longer operational. Many of the technical failures observed are attributed to social factors, as well as flawed implementation strategies

[en] To transform the solar energy, having a big potential in Republic of Armenia, into electrical energy, a new photovoltaic mobile module with Fresnel lenses, which is developed automatically follows the movement of the Sun and can be installed on the roofs of city buildings. The module has a small surface, it is light, solid and is highly efficient

[en] The photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) systems have been established for providing both electricity and heat using the existing photovoltaic (PV) system set-up. The PVT systems capture panel heat for some useful purpose. It is based on deploying a polymer sheet at the back of the PV panel to accommodate cooling water between the PV panel and the sheet to maximize the contact area between cooling water and panel. The present work compares the performance of a normal PV panel to that of the novel PVT panel. The PVT system is fabricated and experiments are conducted to evaluate electrical and thermal efficiencies. An improvement of 2.17% is observed in the electrical efficiency of the PVT panel in comparison with the normal PV panel. A brief cost analysis along with payback period calculations of the PVT panel is also included. (author)

[en] Satellite solar arrays are likely to be charged by the space environment up to a discharging threshold level, resulting in electrostatic discharges. Electrostatic discharges are phenomena known to cause temporary anomalies, mainly electromagnetic disturbances. Such discharges are studied experimentally in this paper on laboratory samples made of zinc or silver, and on real solar cell samples. Spectroscopic data show for all these samples the presence of eroded metal vapours, and microscopic photographs confirm the local melting of the electrode, even for low values of the capacitors (10 nF and 330 pF) used in the electrical circuit. (author)

[en] Due to economic growth, rise in population and depleting energy resources, shortage of energy is being realized throughout the world including developed countries. Unfortunately, at this hour, when the developed world is hard focused in securing energy resources for future generations, our nation is facing acute problem of electric power shortage for fulfilling just basic needs. Solar energy, being the most widely available energy resource, is considered in this paper to develop cheaper street lighting system with an aim to produce affordable solar power system and create awareness among masses to exploit the same to deal with the current shortage in a cost effective manner. (author)