A Survival Tips and Techniques Blog | UrbanWoodsman.com

A solar cell is a device which changes sunlight into electricity. A more technical term for a solar cell is a photovoltaic cell.

The term “photo” derives from the Greek word for “light,” and the term “voltaic” comes from the word “volt” which means “electrical force.” A “cell” is a small receptacle or container containing electrodes which generate power.

Thus, a photovoltaic cell is a container that creates electric force, through light.

Whereas a solar cell can generate electricity from any light source, its intended use is the collection of solar energy from the sun.

How a Solar Cell Works

The solar cell works as follows:

Photons (which are particles of light in sun rays) hit the surface of the solar cell and are absorbed a semiconductor, such as silicon.

These photons (bits of sunlight) knock electrons loose from the atoms inside the semiconductor. The photons then push the electrons along, leaving a “gap” in the atom. Another electron is then pulled from an adjacent atom to fill the gap. And so an electrical flow is generated.

The simplicity of this is that one atom has an extra electron, and the other atom is missing one. This is referred to as a “difference in potential.” Nature, wanting to remain balanced, tries to even things out by pulling another electron from the neighboring atom.

A solar panel is comprised of a group of solar cells which are linked together to produce the desired amount of electrical energy.

A group of solar cells linked together can also be referred to as a “module.” Thus the terms “solar panel,” and “solar module,” are synonymous to each other, and essentially mean the exact same thing. “Solar panel” is the more common term, and “solar module” is the technical term.

One can use solar panels individually or one can link several together in order to generate more electricity. When a group of solar panels are linked together, it is called a “solar array”. The more solar panels are included in a solar array, the more power they produce.

Solar Power is a clean and virtually unlimited source of energy. I say “virtually unlimited” because the sun itself won’t last forever. But we won’t have to worry about that for the next few billion years.

Since solar power is a clean energy source which has been around for decades, one might wonder why its not used more. The answer to this lies partially in the cost of producing solar panels, as well as in the efficiency of the solar panels.

We are currently in the second generation of solar panel technology and verging on the third. A lot has changed since the first generation. Solar panels a are becoming a viable source of clean energy.

The solar cells of earlier times were relatively large and bulky compared to our current models. In view of the amount of energy and material required to produce them, and the amount of energy they actually produced, it was more costly to use solar energy than to use fossil fuels. The only exception was in places where little or no fossil fuels were available, such as in space.

With the second-generation solar cells, we attempted to tackle this exact problem. We attempted improve manufacturing techniques so as to reduce the costs, materials and energy needed for the production of solar cells.

Recently, major advances have been made in the production of solar cells, which have reduced production costs.

One contribution in this area was the development of techniques to coat glass or ceramic materials with very thin layers of semi-conductive substances. This made it possible to produce solar panels using only a fraction of the semi-conductive material that was required earlier. The production of solar panels using this second-generation technology is referred to as “Thin Film Technology.”

Third-generation solar energy technologies are currently being researched and developed. The objective is to improve the power of solar cells even further (while keeping production costs to a minimum) in which case thirty to sixty percent of the sunlight hitting the panels will be converted into electricity. (Currently, solar panels convert only about twenty percent.)

But regardless of third generation solar technology, the second-generation solar cell is efficient enough to make solar technology viable – and a host of new solar-powered products have hit the consumer market.

Solar-powered calculators have been in use for a while now, we’ve all seen them. We have even seen a few other novelty devices. But only in the last few years have solar devices come into serious and practical use.

The last two years in particular have seen a virtual explosion of solar devices hitting the market. Solar flashlights (I’ve often wandered what use they were), solar-powered radios, and, recently, solar battery chargers.

One can also now find a wide range of portable solar chargers and panels, which are lightweight and easy to transport, yet capable of providing a decent amount of power in even the most remote locations. Solar chargers are becoming a standard part of wilderness survival kits and emergency preparedness kits.

All of this is a result of the developments in solar cell technology, and the coming of the Solar Age.

Thin Film Solar Panels are made up of a lightweight and flexible material which can be rolled up and easily transported. They are therefore very useful as a source of portable solar power.

Any person who has ever used a solar-powered calculator has had “hands on” experience with Thin Film Photovoltaics. This technology has been with us for years, creating the strips which are used to power calculators

This photovoltaic technology has now evolved to a point where we can mass-produce solar panels, through the use of machines not unlike printing presses.

The substance which is used to print these photovoltaic panels is called “solar ink.”

Solar ink can be made in any color. In fact, it is possible to design the inks in such a way as to make use of different parts of the light spectrum.

Solar presses “print out” thin panels called “solar rolls.” These rolls are13 inches wide, and can be up to 2400 feet long. They can be cut to the required size, after the solar ink has been printed onto them.

The electrical connections in the roll are automatically welded in by laser. This procedure reduces the construction time considerably, as compared to the time required to construct conventional solar panels.

Once this technology reaches a cost-effectiveness of $1.00 per watt, its prices will be competitive with those of conventional fossil fuels. TFPV is rapidly approaching this benchmark, and could possibly beat it in the near future.

Solar ink can be printed onto fabrics, plastics and metals, allowing one to design panels for a wide range of products, each tailored to their specific needs.

Thin and flexible photovoltaic solar panels are not as effective as solid panels. It’s the fact that they are so much cheaper and lighter than conventional solar panels, that gives them the “edge”.

The U.S. military is extremely interested in the development of thin-film solar technology, and spent 1.seven million dollars on one laboratory last year, to facilitate the development of Thin Film Photovoltaics. The US government is interested in implementing this technology in troop communication devices, which can reduce the heat signatures which are created when troops use conventional generators.

Solar shades and tents are now available, using thin film photovoltaics, which provide up to 2kw of power. This allows them to operate laptops, communication devices, TVs, and much more.

Thin film photovoltaic devices are now widely available on the consumer market.

A flexible solar panel weighing less than a pound is now capable of recharging a laptop. Due to its flexibility, it can be rolled up and transported easily.

Flexible photovoltaic panels are also a realistic source of emergency power. They are a handy and economic addition to emergency preparedness kits and wilderness survival kits.

Current research on Thin Film Photovoltaics is aimed at increasing the power output of these panels. If this research achieves this goal, there is a very good possibility that we will have solved the problem cheap and clean renewable energy.

www.sulltek.com This is a video of the Passive Solar Heating System in use at http in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. It provides a great deal of heat, and the installer, Chris, will be making it more effecient by adding a second computer fan to push the warm air at the top, painting the inside better and taping the duct work. Also, the duct work will be directed into the office where the door can be closed and used in a smaller air mass. This kind of heater is ideal for urban survival and bugging in, since it requires no power input and is cheap and easy to make. It’s not just for strawbale, cob, cabins, cottages, earth ships or businesses. They can be installed on a home, and they look great when done right. Ragnar Benson would be proud. Visit our site at envirosponsible.com or call us at 905-666-2002.

Bieng able to navigate using nature is an extremely useful skill, always be aware of what direction you are travelling and allways tell someone where you are going

People who enjoy heading into the woods for a weekend or few days of camping tend to be the type to look for the most “natural” resources while on their trip. These people usually won’t want a lot of day to day things along for the adventure, but quite often some modern conveniences can come in very handy, and can often prove life saving.

Of course most campers will bring a high-quality tent and sleeping gear, they’ll want some cooking supplies and food stores, but they’ll probably be leaving their PDAs or MP3 players at home. This is a good idea because not only can they distract someone from enjoying the scenery and world around them, but they can become excess weight once their batteries have died.

Not all electrical gadgets are useless when camping or hiking however, but there are no solutions for keeping such handy items as GPS units or cellular phones fully charged while out in the woods, right? Thanks to solar technology that is no longer the case.

With lightweight foldable solar chargers, a backpacker or camper can supply their smaller electronic devices with an ample amount of power. This can be great for hikers who want to be sure they are headed the right way (using their GPS) or campers who have run into an emergency situation and use their cellular phones to call for help.

The waterproof and flexible solar panels can even be draped across a backpack where the hiker simply totes their own personal power station on their back as they trek through the woods, fields or paths.

Of course solar electricity is not used just for high-tech equipment, and there are other niceties that solar power supplies to a camper or hiker. There are camp lamps and lights that can serve for up to twelve hours with one single charge. This eliminates the need to tote the significantly heavier battery powered units and also reduces the chance of being “left in the dark” should batteries die during a hiking or camping trip.

So, emergency communications and accurate mapping and lighting can be supplied through solar electricity. Is there anything else? Actually, one of the most popular items toted around by campers and hikers heading into the woods are solar showers. These are lightweight sacks that can be filled with frigid stream or lake water. The bags are then hung in the sun, and thanks to their special solar properties, can heat up the three or more gallons to an incredibly comfortable temperature. The camper simply opens the nozzle and enjoys their super hot solar shower! In conclusion, outdoor solar lights and products can come in really hand in challenging outdoor conditions.