SOLAR ENERGY

Traditional energy sources present several challenges including rising prices, security concerns, dependence on imports, and environmental concerns over climate change risks. Due to these challenges, solar power generation is one of the most rapidly growing sources of electricity.

Solar energy, or Photovoltaics (PV), generate electric power by using solar cells to convert energy from the sun into electricity. Adding a solar electric system to your commercial business, industrial, institutional or government facility is an economic and strategic measure that will reduce energy costs, improve energy efficiency, reduce reliance on the struggling electrical grid and improve the value of your building. Solar power also protects the environment by using clean, renewable energy.

Solar power generation has several advantages over traditional forms of electricity generation. Reduced dependence on fossil fuels, limited impact on the environment, reduced fluctuating electricity costs, it operates independently or in conjunction with traditional energy sources, it is flexible and has scalable installation options.  With minimal maintenance, your solar photovoltaic system will produce free power for 20-25 years after it has paid for itself. More importantly, GTC can integrate Solar power generation with Wind and Hydro technologies.

How Solar PV Works:

Solar cells are made of the same kinds of semiconductor materials, such as silicon, that are used in the microelectronics industry. For solar cells, a thin semiconductor wafer is specially treated to form an electric field, which is positive on one side and negative on the other. When light energy strikes the solar cell, electrons are knocked loose from the atoms in the semiconductor material. If electrical conductors are attached to the positive and negative sides, forming an electrical circuit, the electrons can be captured in the form of an electric current -- electricity. This electricity can then be used for any powered applications.

Several solar cells electrically connected to each other and mounted in a support structure or frame is called a photovoltaic module. Modules are designed to supply electricity at a certain voltage, such as a common 24 volts’ system. The current produced is directly dependent on how much light strikes the module. Multiple modules can be wired together to form an array. In general, the larger the area of a module or array, the more electricity that will be produced. Photovoltaic modules and arrays produce direct-current (dc) electricity. They can be connected in both series and parallel electrical arrangements to produce any required voltage and current combination.

Today's most common PV devices use a single junction, or interface, to create an electric field within a semiconductor such as a PV cell. In a single-junction PV cell, only photons whose energy is equal to or greater than the band gap of the cell material can free an electron for an electric circuit. In other words, the photovoltaic response of single-junction cells is limited to the portion of the suns spectrum whose energy is above the band gap of the absorbing material, and lower-energy photons are not used.

One way to get around this limitation is to use two (or more) different cells, with more than one band gap and more than one junction, to generate a voltage. These are referred to as "multijunction" cells (also called "cascade" or "tandem" cells). Multijunction devices can achieve a higher total Energy Conversion.

Return on Investment:

To help you reduce your capital expenditure, GTC will show you how to capitalize on combined solar state and federal incentives which can save you up to 60% and make your return on investment possible in approximately 2-5 years. In participating areas, your solar photovoltaic system may generate Renewable Energy Certificates, which can generate yearly revenue, off-setting capital expenses.