Wikify: date=October 2008

Introduction

Solar panels are used to gather solar energy from the sun. Solar panels help maintain a clean and sustainable environment; using solar panels to gather the sunlight is a type of renewable energy. After collecting the sun, the panels convert the energy into electricity. The surface of each panel is composed of solar cells, or photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells assist in the conversion of sunlight into electricity. The solar cells use semiconductor substances to conduct electricity; silicon is the most common material that is used. Silicon is used because it is a very plentiful element and can be used without harming the environment (Solar Panels). Solar panels are made up of polysilicon (Solar Panel Info). With solar panels becoming more popular, people need to be aware of how solar panels are helpful to the environment, how they work, and the pros and cons to using solar panels.

Types of Solar Panels

Solar panels work best if positioned in certain places. They perform well if positioned on rooftops and building tops; solar panels should be placed in places that receive the most sunlight. Direct sunlight is the most efficient way to collect solar energy (Solar Power Info). In the northern hemisphere, the solar panels should be positioned facing south, to maximize exposure to direct sunlight as the sun crosses the southern sky. Likewise, in the southern hemisphere solar panels should face north.

==Popularity== Despite the problems with the shade affecting the efficiency of solar panels, solar panels are increasing in popularity. There is an increasing demand for solar panels due to the high cost of traditional forms of generating electricity. The most important ingredient for producing solar panels is silicon. However, silicon is increasingly in short supply and becoming more costly because of the high demand; the boom in solar power has resulted in this shortage. Ever since the middle of the 1990s, the solar industry has increased, exceeding 30 percent growth a year; just recently, the increase of the industry has been as high as 50 percent (Arnoldy, 2008, p.25). Since there is a high demand for silicon, the prices have shot up tremendously. Now in 2008, the price of silicon is at $200 a kilogram, which is about 500 percent of what the price was in 2004 (Thilmany, 2007, p.8). For example, a company based out of Lancaster, PA, the SunLion, is struggling to satisfy all the customers who want to install solar panels because panels are becoming more and more popular (Rutter, 2008, p.D1).

The silicon shortage caused prices to skyrocket; however, now, the supply of silicon has increased and as a result, the manufacturing of solar panels will increase. In 2007, over 25 thousand tons of silicon was available for manufacturing and it is predicted that by 2010, the silicon available for manufacture will total over 75 thousand tons. By looking over the data on the Average Price per Watt of Solar Panel graph, in 2003 the average price per watt started to increase and by 2006, it peaked at over $3.75. After that, the average price per watt started to decrease and because of these results, observers have stated that the price for silicon manufacturing will decrease (Bullis, 2008, p.22).