Solar energy is the most abundant energy resource on the planet. The amount of energy produced by sunlight shining on the earth reaches 100 watts (Petawatt, 1Peta = 1015). Humans can use only a small portion of them to meet the electricity needs of the entire planet. At present, the entire earth's power supply needs is about 15 terawatts (Terawatt, 1 Tera=“1012â€)/year.
James Prendergast, senior member and executive director of the IEEE, said: "Solar photovoltaics will change the rules of the game. There is no alternative energy source that has the potential to generate so much energy for the world. As the cost of solar power is lower than traditional energy sources, We will see its large number of market applications, and its growth will only be limited by the supply. I fully believe that solar photovoltaic will be one of the key factors to solve our short- and long-term energy challenges."
According to the data published by the International Energy Association (IEA), from the year 2000 onwards, the global installed capacity of solar photovoltaics is growing at a rate of over 40% per year. By 2050, solar photovoltaics are expected to account for 11% of the world's total electricity generation, with a cumulative installed capacity of 3,000 gigawatts (Gigawatt). It is estimated that this will result in a reduction of 2.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to a reduction of 253 million households of electricity generated each year, which is close to the combined population of Russia and Japan.
However, solar photovoltaic is still facing a lot of challenges from popular applications. According to Shu Jie, director of the Solar Energy System Application Laboratory of the Guangzhou Institute of Energy under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, “Photovoltaic photovoltaics must continue to improve in terms of reducing power generation costs and efficiently converting electrical energy in order to truly catch up to traditional power generation methods.â€
Professor Steven Renel, a senior member of the IEEE and dean of the Institute of Materials Research at the Ohio State University, confirmed that one of the major challenges facing many optoelectronic technologies is how to achieve maximum efficiency, because it can achieve lower system costs. Ringel said: “At present, the level of competition in the technology level is still very healthy. At present, we have bright prospects, high efficiency, but the cost is very high technology; at the same time, we also have low efficiency and low cost technology. The technology is surely to combine the advantages of these two technologies at the same time, that is to provide the highest efficiency at the lowest cost."
Despite many challenges, major advances have been made in solar photovoltaic technology and the materials needed for solar photovoltaic development. For example, the supply of silicon for solar photovoltaic materials has now exceeded the level of five years ago. The use of thin-film materials for home solar panels, concentrated photovoltaics used in commercial grid environments, and technological advances such as solar energy storage and electronic control have all contributed to the increase in the efficiency of solar cells.
The IEEE is actively working to bring together experts from all over the world in an attempt to overcome obstacles faced by the use of solar photovoltaic systems and increase the use of solar photovoltaic systems. For example, the IEEE Electronic Equipment Association will launch the IEEE Photonics Magazine later this year. The IEEE has also expanded the scale of the famous solar technology conference, the IEEE Photonics Experts Conference, which will be held in Seattle, Washington, from June 19th to 24th. It will conduct research, development, manufacturing, and implementation of solar cells. 1 Over 10,000 technical demonstrations.
In fact, the IEEE is already using solar photovoltaic arrays to power its headquarters in Piscataway, New Jersey. In 2009, the IEEE installed a 50-kilowatt rooftop solar array that included more than 275 solar panels, which not only reduced electricity bills but also reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 71.5 tons. This year, the IEEE plans to expand the existing solar array's power generation capacity to 220 kilowatts, and plans to implement this technology in stages on other buildings in the future.
IEEE Solar Experts Said: The Development of Solar Photoelectricity is Positive
In the next ten years, the global installed capacity of solar photovoltaics is expected to increase significantly; the cost of solar power may be more economical than traditional energy sources. Beijing, China, the world’s largest solar panel of scientific and technological experts, said recently that solar experts in the IEEE have expressed Photovoltaic (PV) systems are expected to be the most economical form of power generation, even exceeding traditional fossil fuels. In order to make the cost of solar photovoltaic equivalent to the traditional generation mode, all industries in the world must continue to improve the efficiency of solar photovoltaic cell technology, achieve economies of scale, and further reduce manufacturing costs. The IEEE has developed a number of action plans to promote the above goals.