All the way back in 1954, researchers at Bell Laboratories made a photovoltaic cell capable of efficiently changing light into electricity. This stepped forward in modern science marked a elemental change in how power is generated. These cells started out achieving 6% efficiency, and went to 15% with experimental cells reaching efficiencies over 40%!.

Costs on the flip side have fallen from $300.00/ watt to less than $3.00 per watt. That's right; if you wanted a 100 watt solar panel, you could expect to pay as much as $30,000.00 for that panel! The utilization of solar energy and solar power spans from traditional technologies that provide food, heat and light to electricity which is exclusively modern. There are various technologies that use solar energy.

Most prevalent classifications of solar technology are active, passive, direct and indirect. Active solar power systems use both electrical and mechanical components such as solar tracking modules that are used to process sunlight into usable outputs such as heating, lighting or electricity. Passive solar systems use non-mechanical techniques of controlling, converting and distributing sunlight into usable outputs such as heating, lighting, cooling or ventilation.

These techniques include selecting products with favorable thermal properties, designing spaces that naturally circulate air, and referencing the position of a building to the sun. Direct solar generally refers to technologies or effects that involve a single conversion of sunlight which results in a usable form of energy. Indirect solar generally refers to technologies or effects that involves multiple transformations of sunlight which result in a usable form of energy. A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device that converts light into electricity using the photovoltaic effect. Until recently, their use has been limited because of high manufacturing costs.

One cost effective use has been in very low-power devices such as calculators with LCDs. Another use has been in remote functions such as roadside emergency telephones, remote sensing, cathodic protection of pipe lines, and limited "off grid" home power applications. A third use has been in powering orbiting satellites and spacecraft.

The solar modules should be mounted at right angles to the arc of the sun to make the most of their effectiveness, as on rooftops or mounted on the ground using special racking systems.

The easiest way to use this electricity is by connecting the solar panels to a grid tie power inverter. This set up usually has the solar panels wired in series, and do not require battery backup for night time or cloudy days, as the grid will take over supplying the building's power.

Many different types of products have been used in the manufacture of the pv solar modules. Some of those products used include low iron, high light transmission glass, EVA (Methyl-Vinyl-Acetate) TPT, KPE, TPE, and specialized silicone encapsulates. These products are used to laminate the entire the solar modules using a combination of heat, vacuum and pressure. This in turn seals the individual solar cells, allowing them to stand the test of time and effectively operate for over 25 years.

We have come a long way in our quest to harness the energy of the Sun, however, there is so much more we will learn!