solar panel, definition of

DERs. A variety of small, modular power-generating technologies that can be combined with energy management and storage systems and used to improve the operation of the electricity delivery system, whether or not those technologies are connected to an electricity grid.

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• Did you know these surprising solar panel facts?
  Solar panels are by far the best applicable technology for converting solar energy to usable electricity today. With the sun available to us around the year, it is only reasonable to consider taping its energy for domestic use. Even so, the currently...

Related Tags: solar, energy

Solar Panel Efficiency is a percentage measure of how Solar Energy from the Sun hitting a solar panel is ideally converted into useful electrical power. This is often given assuming perfect conditions; i.e. no shade, maximum sun and cool. In practice the actual rate of conversion can be somewhat different due to:

• Shading - even partial shading can have a dramatic effect on the energy produced.
• Heat - the hotter a solar panel becomes the less efficient it is at converting solar energy into electrical energy.
• Sun Strength - akin to shading, but if the Sun is behind clouds or low in the sky you will get dramatically less power.
  

• SunPower nabs record for world's most efficient rooftop solar panel
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• With a special glass coating, these solar panels can capture sunlight from almost any angle
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• New Software Allows Developers to Create Super Efficient Solar Parks
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• Study Discovers That Solar Panels Have a Cooling Effect on Buildings
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• Off-the-Shelf Dyes Increase Solar Panel Absorption
  The hippies were the first to push solar energy en masse in the 70’s, so it’s a wonder we haven’t thought of this before — it turns out the same stuff used to tie-dye t-shirts can increase the efficiency of solar panels...

Related Tags: solar power, solar energy, energy efficiency, renewable energy, solar cells, green energy, solar panels