What Are Photovoltaics and Why Are They Important?
The Problem With Non-Renewable Energy
Energy sources that cannot naturally replenish themselves, also known as non-renewable energy sources, are the most commonly used substances for electricity generation in the 21st century. Fossil fuels—natural gas, petroleum, and coal—are the most popular sources of non-renewable energy because of their cheap costs and easy availability, among other factors. In order to generate electricity from fossil fuels, they are burned, and the heat from their combustion is used in various ways. Oftentimes, the heat released from fossil fuels is used to create steam that spins a turbine, which in turn generates electricity.
Two major downsides to using fossil fuels:
1. They are formed only in conditions of extreme pressure deep inside the Earth, and take hundreds of millions of years to develop. When humanity inevitably runs out of them, there will be no way for us to get more.
2. The more pressing issue of fossil fuels: their adverse effect on the Earth's climate. Every time fossil fuels are burned, they release stored Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Humanity's constant burning of fossil fuels over the last 200+ years has caused an excess of CO2 to gather in the atmosphere, resulting in the phenomenon commonly known as global warming. The high levels of CO2 present in our atmosphere have slowly worn down the Earth's ozone layer, which protects the Earth from harmful rays of light that can compromise the health of organisms and heat up the Earth's surface. The more fossil fuels we burn, the more dangerous rays of light will penetrate the ozone layer, and the warmer the planet will become.
The fossil fuel-powered Linden Generating Station in New Jersey.
Image: Getty Images
The hydroelectric Rizzanese dam in Rizzanese, Corsica.
Image: EDF-Bruno Conty
A commercial solar panel array.
Image: Erlucho/iStock.com
The Solution: RET
The most widely considered solution to the problems posed by fossil fuels is the utilization of renewable-energy technology. Sometimes referred to as RET, renewable energy technology generates electricity in an eco-friendly manner from natural resources that won't run out. The most widely researched and effective renewable energy sources are water, wind, and sunlight.
In case this is your first time hearing about it, solar energy is energy that is generated using light emitted by the sun. Photovoltaics (PV) are a special type of technology that enables solar energy generation. More specifically, PV tech takes light in the form of photons from the sun and converts it into electricity that we can use however we like.
The origins of the words solar and photovoltaic are simple, and may help you remember what the terms mean. Solar is derived from the latin root sol, which refers to the sun, so solar energy just means "energy from the sun." The term photovoltaic is comprised of the Greek word for light, phōs, and the word voltaic, meaning voltage. Therefore, PV technology is "technology that uses light to generate electricity."
References
Flickr. [Solar panels on the roof of a house]. https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/renewable-energy-ecology/solar-panels-pros-and-cons-056654/.
Guiyongnian. Getty images. https://karmaimpact.com/solar-panels-that-work-at-night-might-be-the-breakthrough-renewables-need/.
Nelson Mullins. [Solar array on grassy field]. https://www.nelsonmullins.com/storage/Nbg4suFgXcUcSpne7cwbN17NIGtLJf2mSYlxnIAK.jpeg.
“Rizzanese : Le plus Puissant Site Hydroélectrique De Corse Inauguré.” Connaissance Des Énergies, 20 June 2013, www.connaissancedesenergies.org/rizzanese-le-plus-puissant-site-hydroelectrique-de-corse-inaugure-130621.
Service, Robert F. “Solar Cells That Work in Low Light Could Charge Devices Indoors.” ScienceMag, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 23 Apr. 2018, www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/04/solar-cells-work-low-light-could-charge-devices-indoors.