Why don't solar power panel manufacturers use their own solar panels to power their factories?
607273
Honestly, it is because solar panels alone are too unreliable (cloudy days, etc.) and WAY too expensive to use and maintain. It would not be economically feasible.
397245
um solar panels? i dont know how they work though so i dunno.
720553
There are many ways to take advantage of the energy produced by the sun.  A good place to start is with a passive solar energy water heater.  They are inexpensive to install and easy to maintain.  The simplest ones use the radiant energy of the sun and convert that to thermal energy using a material that absorbs the light instead of reflecting it, in layman's terms, something black.  \n\nPhotovoltaic (solar cell) systems convert sunlight directly into electricity. A solar or Photovoltaic cell consists of semiconducting material that absorbs the sunlight. The solar energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms in a semiconductor, allowing the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity.\n\nFor a more in-depth explanation of photovoltaic technology try this site.
647621
Photosynthesis is about 1% efficient while we can make PV cells about 20% efficient.\n\nThis is yet another case of nature being inferior to human technology.
789204
Give the site below a try! Good luck.\n\n<This is for fun only. If you are actually trying to do this to heat your house or use for power, I don't think you can do that. You would need commercially made cells, but you could set up the system yourself.>
275828
Wind mills and /or solar
487293
Do a search on this site..  \nregarding solar energy.
612469
Solar electric panels are made up of something called silicon, the same thing that makes up sand. There is more silicon on the planet than almost anything else. Even though you can find silicon almost everywhere, making a solar panel is difficult and expensive. The silicon has to be heated to super high temperatures in a big factory, and then formed into very thin wafers. \n\nWhen sunlight hits a solar panel, it makes electrons in the silicon move around. (Electrons are teeny tiny specks--they?re way too small for us to see, even under a microscope.) The electrons flow through wires that were built into the solar panel. And presto! We have electricity! We can do whatever we want with this electricity, run a calculator, a CD player, or, if we have big enough solar panels, a satellite! [Solar panels are also called photovoltaic panels. "Photo" means light and "voltaic" means electricity.]
21613
Each solar panel produces 60w of power. You'd have to look at your bill and see how many kwh you use and divide that by 60w/hr. By the way, prices have gone down. Solar panels cost about $300 now. And if you get enough and produce more power than you use, you can sell that to some electric companies.\n\nAs far as oil, do that for the whole world and see, remember though, the solar energy is always there, going to waste if we don't use it we lose it.
75
California electricity is generated by several sources, including hydroelectric, wind, geothermal and nuclear (in addition to the more traditional natural gas).  The question is why these other sources aren't used more, and the answer is that historically, they've either been more expensive or have environmental risks of their own (esp. for nuclear).  As petroleum and natural gas sources start to get used up, and world demand for energy increases, the cost of electricity from natural gas will go up and the other sources will become more cost effective and more prevalent.\nIncidentally, solar power is another source used in California, but it's provided by individuals, not power companies.  If your house has solar power and you have the right equipment, you can sell your surplus electricity to the power company and your electric meter will literally run backward.
686726
Actualy there ARE free energy solutions out there, such as a self sustaining magntic generator the problem is noone will fund building these power sources becuz there is no profit in free power and we all know everything is about money and profit.
257393
yes they can, if you use them to fuel a generator. it is not very cost efficient, though, especially in small quantities.
449374
All of them have a source of power (usually solar cells) and batteries for storage.\n\nArrays of solar cells provide power to charge rechargeable batteries. Newer designs include the use of fuel cells. Power on most satellites is precious and very limited. Nuclear power has been used on space probes to other planets. Power systems are constantly monitored, and data on power and all other onboard systems is sent to Earth stations in the form of telemetry signals.
33350
If you are into electrochemistry you could make your own solar cell or a flat panel solar cell. A solar cell is a device for converting energy from the sun into electricity. This project is fairly easy and there are plenty of pics to show you exactly how its done. \n\nAlso read the first source listed first because it tells you things you need to know for the second experiment.
484249
With ground based solar:\nPositives:\nOnce you build the panels the power is free\nLittle environmental impact\nAppeases the luddites\nNegatives:\nDownright expensive\nToo unreliable to be a major player in a power grid\nDoesn't work at night\nReduced power when skies aren't clear\nReduced power in winter and at high latitudes\n\nNow putting the solar power plant in space and beaming the power down to earth is another matter.\nPositives:\nVery clean, possibly cleaner than doing it on the ground (trade off is between making the semiconductors on Earth and dumping the waste from that or launching rockets)\nPotentially very cheap if space resources are used\nActually has a possibility of competing with fossil fuels and nuclear power for dominant power supplier\nNegatives:\nNot yet deployed so we only know of it in theory and limited tests of the microwave power transmission\nEvery year at the equinoxes there is a IIRC 74 minute blackout (not as bad as a 12 hour one though and that's only on two days)\nLuddites will probably oppose it despite the microwave beam being perfectly safe
988898
PV tech is expensive and only works when the sun is shining. Not the best solution when we have a delivery infrastructure for bulk power. Don't forget about all the batteries a solar set-up needs. Where do they go when they no longer hold a charge?\n\nNuclear is the best solution.
124095
Photovoltaic Cells require specialized semi conductors like specially treated silicon crystals.  The answer you are refering to mentioned potatos to make a battery not a photovoltaic cell.\n\nPotatos and lemons, and all fruits and vegetables for that matter, store solar energy from photosynthesis.  This however is not photovoltaic as electricity is not generated at all during photosynthesis.\n\nYou can however create batteries with copper, zinc, and a potato, lemon, or banana.  These foods contain weak electrolytes, one of the main ingredients in a battery.  Unfortunately a potato battery is very weak and much more expensive than batteries you can buy at the store.