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Photovoltaics: Difference between revisions
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[[Category:Energy sources]] | [[Category:Energy sources]] | ||
Photovoltaics are any '''solar panels''' that produce electricity. | Photovoltaics (PV) are any '''solar panels''' that produce electricity. | ||
<small>Not to be confused with [[solar thermal panels]] (non-electric) which just heat air or water in the sun.</small> | <small>Not to be confused with [[solar thermal panels]] (non-electric) which just heat air or water in the sun.</small> | ||
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====Status quo==== | |||
As of 2023, solar provides about 1% of the world's [[energy]] | |||
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(5% of ''electricity''). If we want to phase out [[fossil fuels]], then solar might need to scale up by over 50x. This comes with challenges. | |||
{{considerations}} __NOTOC__ | {{considerations}} __NOTOC__ | ||
==Intermittency== | ==Intermittency== | ||
{{sum|Needs [[energy storage]]}} | {{sum|Needs [[energy storage]]}} | ||
'''Short-term fluctuation:''' Solar panels only produce electricity during the day, not at night. Cloudy & overcast days still produce a generous amount of power, although slightly less. Days with heavy rain produce less.{{qn}} | |||
'''Long-term fluctuation:''' Solar panels produce less energy in the winter than in the summer.{{qn| / case studies}} | |||
Energy storage is an [[The great battery challenge|ongoing challenge]]. Best candidates for solar might be [[iron-redox flow batteries]] or [[sodium-sulfur batteries]]. | |||
''So if solar were to be '''scaled up enough''' to phase out fossil fuels,'' | |||
* We'd need ''at least'' enough battery [[energy storage]] to cover a full 24-hour cycle - or maybe a bit more. | |||
* ''Some'' excess summer daytime energy may be worth storing by producing [[hydrogen gas]] (which could be burned in the winter for [[heating]]). | |||
* Energy storage is an [[The great battery challenge|ongoing challenge]]. Best candidates for solar batteries might be [[iron-redox flow batteries]] or [[sodium-sulfur batteries]]. | |||
* To reduce the need for energy storage, it would help if people were to charge their [[electric vehicles]] mostly during the day, and if factories were to run only during the day (and maybe even temporarily shut down in the winter). | |||
==Rare metals== | ==Rare metals== | ||
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==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* [[Concentrator photovoltaics]] | <!-- * [[Concentrator photovoltaics]] TALK: maybe remove this since it's not all that viable? --> | ||
* [[Wind]] | |||
* [[Energy]] | * [[Energy]] | ||
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==Maintenance== - solar panels need to be kept clean? | |||
==Safety== - anything worth knowing? | |||
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