Renewable Energy Sources - Photovoltaic Cells

Photovoltaic (PV) cells are becoming increasingly more popular as initial costs fall and confidence in their effectiveness increases. These consist of semiconductor devices of glass and aluminium panels containing silicone. Incident solar radiation is converted to a DC electrical current. This can be passed through a transformer and converted to alternating current (AC) for use in electrical appliances. PV cells show promise in larger scaled developments and office buildings as their high initial costs can render them unsuitable for smaller scale uses such as powering domestic heating systems. Power may be stored in batteries for use outside of daylight hours and, in some cases, surplus energy can be sold back to the national grid.