Melrose Arch Solar Installation
When Du Pont International set up their new offices in Melrose Arch, they wanted to be as green minded as possible in their design and to demonstrate their corporate leadership in environmental awareness.
We designed a customized LED lighting solution and supplied a photovoltaic (PV) solution (Including Batteries, Regulators, Inverters). That not only provides these lights with power but also their server room the brain of a super intelligent forward thinking brand.
They also installed solar geysers, meaning they are saving the environment and they’re saving a pretty penny every month.
We stock a full range of products to cater for any PV solution
Solar energy is all the rage these days. With the current concerns about global warming and energy rates going up every day, it’s no wonder people are looking for alternative ways to power their lives. Solar power is one of the most efficient and affordable energy alternatives available today.
Advantages of solar power:
Although solar power is an energy source that we have only recently tapped into, it may easily become the most important energy source of the future.
- Solar power is a renewable and natural resource.
- Solar power is non-polluting. Unlike oil, solar power does not emit greenhouse gases or carcinogens into the air.
- Light and energy from the sun costs nothing. Once you purchase the equipment to collect and convert energy from the sun, it costs you nothing to run.
- Solar cells require little maintenance.
- Solar cells can last a lifetime.
- Solar power is silent.
Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline Solar panels:
Monocrystalline
These represent the “traditional” technologies. They can be grouped into the category “crystalline silicon.” Monocrystalline is the original PV technology invented in 1955, and never known to wear out. Polycrystalline entered the market in 1981. It is similar in performance and reliability. Monocrystalline modules are composed of cells cut from a piece of continuous crystal. The material forms a cylinder which is sliced into thin circular wafers. To minimize waste, the cells may be fully round or they may be trimmed into other shapes, retaining more or less of the original circle. Because each cell is cut from a single crystal, it has a uniform color which is dark blue.
Polycrystalline cells
These are made from similar silicon material except that instead of being grown into a single crystal, it is melted and poured into a mould. This forms a square block that can be cut into square wafers with less waste of space or material than round single-crystal or monocrystalline wafers. As the material cools it crystallizes in an imperfect manner, forming random crystal boundaries. The efficiency of energy conversion is slightly lower. This merely means that the size of the finished module is slightly greater per watt than most Monocrystalline modules. The cells look different from Monocrystalline cells. The polycrystalline surface has a jumbled look with many variations of blue color. In fact, they are quite beautiful like sheets of gemstone. In addition to the above processes, some companies have developed alternatives such as ribbon growth and growth of crystalline film on glass. Most crystalline silicon technologies yield similar results, with high durability. Twenty-year warranties are common for crystalline silicon modules. Monocrystalline tends to be slightly smaller in size per watt of power output, and slightly more expensive than polycrystalline.
The construction of finished modules from crystalline silicon cells is generally the same, regardless of the technique of crystal growth. The most common construction is by laminating the cells between a tempered glass front and a plastic backing, using a clear adhesive similar to that used in automotive safety glass. It is then framed with aluminum.
The silicon used to produce crystalline solar modules is derived from sand. It is the second most common element on Earth, so why is it so expensive?
The answer is that in order to produce the photovoltaic effect, it must be purified to an extremely high degree. Such pure “semiconductor grade” silicon is very expensive to produce. It is also in high demand in the electronics industry because it is the base material for computer chips and other devices. Crystalline solar cells are about the thickness of a human fingernail. They use a relatively large amount of silicon.
Output
Thin film materials tend to be less stable than crystalline, causing degradation over time. The technology is being greatly improved however, so we do not wish to generalize in this article. We will be seeing many new thin-film products introduced in the coming years, with efficiency and warranties that may approach those of crystalline silicon.
PV experts generally agree that crystalline silicon will remain the “premium” technology for critical applications in remote areas. Thin film will be strong in the “consumer” market where price is a critical factor. As usual, you get what you pay for.
Thin-Film or Amorphous Solar Panels:
Imagine if a PV cell was made with a microscopically thin deposit of silicon, instead of a thick wafer. It would use very little of the precious material. Now, imagine if it was deposited on a sheet of metal or glass, without the wasteful work of slicing wafers with a saw. Imagine the individual cells deposited next to each other, instead of being mechanically assembled. That is the idea behind thin film technology. (It is also called amorphous, meaning “not crystalline.”) The active material may be silicon, or it may be a more exotic material such as cadmium telluride.
Thin-film panels can be made flexible and lightweight by using plastic glazing. Some flexible panels can tolerate a bullet hole without failing. Some of them perform slightly better than crystalline modules under low light conditions. They are also less susceptible to power loss from partial shading of a module.
The disadvantages of thin-film technology are lower efficiency and uncertain durability. Lower efficiency means that more space and mounting hardware are required to produce the same power.
