Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 10.1
Theuseofsolarenergyinlow-powerandDCapplicationsfor
convenience. See also Colour Insert.
presentsvarioussolarenergyapplicationsthatcanleadtoasafeand
peaceful world.
10.2 Early Applications with Low Power Requirements
With the production of commercial solar cells in the 1950s, a
large expansion was seen in low-power applications, such as solar-
powered calculators and wrist watches. The power requirements
were less than 1.0 W, but the convenience created by eliminating
regular battery changes attracted these applications. The car
parking meters introduced in the 1990s are examples of an
application that rapidly expanded because there was no need
to dig for cables during installation. Apart from the low power
requirements, there are other environmental benefits that make
these applications attractive to the modern society. In the future,
these low-power and direct current (DC) applications will continue
to grow and solar cells based on organic materials will have a place
in these low-power applications (Fig. 10.1).
10.3 Early Applications with Moderate Power
Requirements
One of the first commercial uses of solar cells was in the late 1950s
as a power source for space satellites. Solar panels were then used
