Curious About Solar Panels

PODCAST 205: CURIOUS ABOUT SOLAR PANELS

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WE LEARNED ABOUT THE SUN BACK IN EPISODE 147.  IN THAT EPISODE, WE LEARNED HOW POWERFUL THE SUN IS, AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US HERE ON EARTH.  IT PROVIDES US WITH LOTS OF LIGHT AND LOTS OF WARMTH, AND IT DOES THAT FROM OVER 93 MILLION MILES AWAY.  THERE ARE OTHER WAYS WE CAN BENEFIT FROM THE AMAZING SUN, AND WE ARE GOING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ONE OF THOSE TODAY.  

O:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

D:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA, I AM RANDALL FROM SINGAPORE, AND I AM TURNING 8 THIS YEAR.  I LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST EVERY DAY WHILE MY MOMMY DRIVES ME TO SCHOOL.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT SOLAR PANELS.  I REALLY WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM AND HOW WE CONVERT ENERGY FROM THE SUN TO ELECTRICITY.  THANK YOU, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR NEXT PODCAST.”

*VM FROM KYLE OF LITTLETON, COLORADO*

O:  ANY TIME WE GET MESSAGES FROM OUR LISTENERS, IT LIGHTS UP MY DAY, BUT IT’S SO COOL GETTING MESSAGES FROM AMAZING PLACES LIKE SINGAPORE AND GETTING VOICEMAILS TOO!  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT SOLAR PANELS THIS WEEK FOR RANDALL AND KYLE.  

D:  WE USE LOTS OF ENERGY EVERY DAY.  IT TAKES ENERGY TO HEAT AND COOL OUR HOMES AND CARS, TO POWER OUR WASHERS AND DRIERS, TO TURN ON LIGHTBULBS, TO USE APPLIANCES LIKE REFRIGERATORS, OVENS, AND DISHWASHERS, TO TURN ON TELEVISIONS, AND SO MUCH MORE.    

O:  IT’S HARD TO EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH ENERGY EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US USES.  WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT IF I TOLD YOU THAT THE SUN HAS ENOUGH ENERGY TO MEET THE ENERGY NEEDS OF THE ENTIRE PLANET?  

D:  THAT IS AMAZING, AND IT IS ALSO AN UNDERSTATEMENT.  THE SUN HAS MORE THAN ENOUGH ENERGY TO MEET OUR ENERGY NEEDS.  

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE SUN’S ENERGY WOULD WE NEED TO CAPTURE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE US WITH ALL OF THE ENERGY WE NEED ON THE PLANET?

D:  WHEN I THINK OF SOLAR ENERGY, I USUALLY THINK OF IT BEING A RELATIVELY NEW CONCEPT, AND IT IS COMPARED TO MANY OTHER SOURCES OF ENERGY, BUT THE DISCOVERY OF SOLAR ENERGY ACTUALLY HAPPENED A VERY LONG TIME AGO.  IT WAS A FRENCH SCIENTIST BY THE NAME OF EDMOND BECQUEREL THAT DISCOVERED SOMETHING CALLED THE PHOTOVOLTAIC EFFECT ALL THE WAY BACK IN 1839, ALMOST 200 YEARS AGO.  

O:  THE PHOTOVOLTAIC EFFECT IS THE CREATION OF VOLTAGE AND AN ELECTRIC CURRENT IN AN OBJECT THAT IS EXPOSED TO LIGHT.  IN OTHER WORDS, LIGHT HITS AN OBJECT AND ELECTRICITY IS FORMED.

D:  EVEN THOUGH WE LEARNED THAT ALL THE WAY BACK IN 1839, IT WOULD BE A REALLY LONG TIME BEFORE THE FIRST SOLAR PANELS WERE CREATED.

O:  AFTER THE PHOTOVOLTAIC EFFECT WAS DISCOVERED, IT TOOK ANOTHER 102 YEARS FOR SCIENTISTS TO LEARN THAT SILICON CAN MAKE ELECTRICITY WHEN LIGHT HITS IT.  THEN IT TOOK 13 MORE YEARS FOR THE FIRST SILICON SOLAR PANEL TO BE INVENTED.  

D:  SILICON BEING ABLE TO TURN SUNLIGHT INTO ENERGY IS AMAZING, BUT WAIT… THERE’S MORE.  SILICON IS VERY PLENTIFUL.  IT’S THE SECOND MOST ABUNDANT ELEMENT ON EARTH, SECOND ONLY TO OXYGEN.

O:  SILICON MAKES UP 27.7% OF THE EARTH’S CRUST.  IT’S THE SAME ELEMENT THAT CAN BE FOUND IN SAND ON THE BEACH.  

D:  IF YOU’VE EVER SEEN A SOLAR PANEL, THEY ARE USUALLY RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE, AND YOU WILL OFTEN FIND THEM ON THE ROOFS OF HOUSES.  

O:  WITHIN EACH SOLAR PANEL IS SMALLER SOLAR CELLS.  EVERY SOLAR PANEL HAS 32 SOLAR CELLS OR MORE.  

D:  AND, THE MAGIC OF TURNING SUNLIGHT INTO ENERGY TAKES PLACE IN THOSE SOLAR CELLS.

O:  FIRST, THE SUN’S RAYS HIT THE SOLAR PANEL CREATING AN ELECTRIC FIELD.  

D:  THE WAY THIS WORKS IS REALLY INTERESTING.  EACH SOLAR CELL HAS TWO DIFFERENT LAYERS OF SILICON.  ONE OF THOSE LAYERS HAS EXTRA ELECTRONS.  THE OTHER LAYER HAS LOTS OF FREE SPACE.  IF YOU LISTENED TO EPISODE 87 ON ELECTRICITY, YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT TEENY TINY THINGS CALLED ELECTRONS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING ELECTRICITY.

O:  WHEN SUNLIGHT HITS A SOLAR CELL, THE ELECTRONS IN THE LAYER THAT HAS LOTS OF EXTRA ELECTRONS WILL BREAK FREE AND BOUNCE AROUND.  IN MANY CASES THEY WILL TRAVEL TO THE OTHER SILICON LAYER, WHERE THERE ARE LOTS OF OPEN SPACES.

D:  ELECTRONS ARE THE ONLY PART OF THE SOLAR CELL THAT MOVE.  ALL THE OTHER PARTS STAY IN PLACE.  THE SUN ACTIVATES ELECTRONS IN THE SOLAR CELL, AND THEY ALWAYS MOVE FROM ONE SILICON LAYER TO THE OTHER, ALWAYS IN ONE DIRECTION.  THAT CAUSES A FLOW OF ELECTRICITY CALLED A DIRECT CURRENT, OR DC FOR SHORT.  IT’S CALLED A DIRECT CURRENT BECAUSE IT ALWAYS FLOWS IN ONE DIRECTION.

O:  FROM THERE, THE ELECTRICITY CREATED FROM THE ELECTRONS IN THE SOLAR CELL TRAVEL TO THE EDGE OF THE SOLAR PANEL AND INTO A WIRE.  

D:  AT THAT POINT, THE ELECTRICITY ENDS UP IN SOMETHING CALLED AN INVERTER.  THE JOB OF THE INVERTER IS TO CHANGE THE DIRECT CURRENT, OR DC, INTO AN ALTERNATING CURRENT, OR AC.  AN ALTERNATING CURRENT IS THEN ABLE TO POWER UP A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS IN YOUR HOME.  UNLIKE A DIRECT CURRENT, AN ALTERNATING CURRENT IS ABLE TO MOVE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.  THAT’S WHY IT’S CALLED AN ALTERNATING CURRENT.    

O:  HERE’S THE COOL PART.  AFTER BEING USED TO PROVIDE ELECTRICITY IN YOUR HOME, THE ELECTRONS TRAVEL BACK THROUGH A WIRE AND END UP RIGHT WHERE THEY STARTED, IN THE SOLAR CELL.  THE PROCESS HAPPENS OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.  BECAUSE THE ELECTRONS END UP RIGHT BACK IN THE SOLAR CELLS AFTER BEING USED, SOLAR PANELS CAN EFFECTIVELY HELP PROVIDE ELECTRICITY FOR A VERY LONG TIME, OFTEN MANY DECADES.  

D:  AFTER HEARING ABOUT HOW AWESOME SOLAR ENERGY IS, YOU MAY WE WONDERING WHY EVERY SINGLE HOME DOESN’T HAVE SOLAR PANELS ON IT.  IT TURNS OUT THAT THERE ARE A FEW REASONS WHY PEOPLE MAY DECIDE TO STAY AWAY FROM SOLAR ENERGY.

O:  SOLAR PANELS COULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE.  IN SOME CASES, SOLAR PANELS COULD COST TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.  

D:  THAT’S TRUE, BUT DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE, YOU MIGHT GET ASSISTANCE WITH PAYING FOR YOUR SOLAR PANELS.  

O:  WHEN YOU RELY ON SOLAR PANELS TO POWER YOUR HOME, THERE IS A CHANCE THAT YOUR SYSTEM WON’T RUN AS WELL ON VERY CLOUDY DAYS OR EVEN IN THE WINTER WHEN THERE IS LESS SUNLIGHT.

D:  HERE’S ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING TO CONSIDER BEFORE GOING SOLAR.  DO YOU PLAN TO STAY IN THE SAME HOME FOR A LONG TIME?

O:  IF YOU PLAN ON MOVING SOMETIME SOON, GETTING SOLAR PANELS INSTALLED ON YOUR HOME MAY NOT MAKE SENSE, ESPECIALLY IF THE PANELS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE.  THAT’S BECAUSE SOLAR PANELS ARE EXTREMELY HARD TO MOVE FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER.  

D:  BUT HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS.  IF YOU DO GET SOLAR PANELS ON YOUR HOME AND THEN MOVE SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE SOLAR PANELS SHOULD HELP INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR HOUSE.  

O:  EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE A FEW DRAWBACKS TO CONSIDER, SOLAR ENERGY IS AWESOME FOR TWO VERY IMPORTANT REASONS.  FIRST, SOLAR ENERGY IS GREAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT COMPARED TO OTHER ENERGY SOURCES.  SOLAR ENERGY DOESN’T CREATE GREENHOUSE GASES OR POLLUTION.  

D:  THE OTHER REASON THAT SOLAR ENERGY IS AWESOME IS BECAUSE YOU COULD SAVE A LOT OF MONEY.  FAMILIES THAT DON’T HAVE SOLAR ENERGY PAY ELECTRICAL BILLS THAT ADD UP TO A LOT OF MONEY.  EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY TO BUY THE SOLAR PANELS AND HAVE THEM INSTALLED, YOU CAN USUALLY GET ALL THAT MONEY BACK FROM SAVINGS ON ELECTRICAL BILLS WITHIN A FEW YEARS.  

O:  SOLAR PANELS AREN’T ONLY FOUND ON THE ROOFS OF HOUSES.  THERE ARE SOME HUMUNGOUS SOLAR POWER PLANTS OUT THERE THAT HAVE SO MANY SOLAR PANELS ON THEM, THAT YOU WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO SEE FROM ONE SIDE OF THE POWER PLANT TO THE OTHER.  

D:  THE LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT IN THE WORLD IS CALLED BHADLA SOLAR PARK, AND IT’S LOCATED IN INDIA.  IT IS 14,000 ACRES LARGE.  

O:  TO GET AN IDEA OF HOW BIG THAT IS, THE MAGIC KINGDOM IN DISNEY WORLD IS A MEASLY 107 ACRES, AND THE MAGIC KINGDOM IS HUGE.  

D:  OF THE FIVE LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANTS IN THE WORLD, TWO OF THEM ARE IN INDIA, ANOTHER TWO ARE IN CHINA, AND ONE IS IN EGYPT.  CHECK THIS OUT… THE SMALLEST OF THE FIVE BIGGEST SOLAR POWER PLANTS IN THE WORLD, TENGGER DESERT SOLAR PARK IN CHINA, PROVIDES ENOUGH POWER TO MEET THE ENERGY NEEDS OF MORE THAT 600,000 HOMES.     

ALRIGHT OLIVIA, IT’S TIME TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE SUN’S ENERGY WOULD WE NEED TO CAPTURE IN ORDER TO MEET THE ENERGY NEEDS OF THE ENTIRE PLANET?

O:  WE WOULD ONLY NEED 0.02% OF THE SUN’S ENERGY TO POWER UP THE PLANET.  IN OTHER WORDS, THE SUN, FROM A DISTANCE OF 93 MILLION MILES AWAY, HAS ENOUGH ENERGY TO PROVIDE POWER FOR 5,000 EARTHS.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  THAT’S AN INCREDIBLE FACT.

D:  EVEN THOUGH THE SUN IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO PROVIDE THAT MUCH ENERGY, IT ONLY REPRESENTS 3.7% OF THE TOTAL ENERGY USAGE WORLDWIDE.  

O:  LEADING THE WAY IN SOLAR ENERGY USAGE IS HONDURAS, AT 12.9%, AND AUSTRALIA, AT 10.7%.

D:  GREAT JOB TO ALL OF THE COUNTRIES THAT ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE ABUNDANCE OF ENERGY THE SUN HAS TO OFFER.  UNITED STATES RANKS 24 ON THE LIST OF COUNTRIES BY PERCENTAGE OF ENERGY THAT COMES FROM SOLAR POWER.  ONLY 3.4% OF THE ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN THE UNITED STATES COMES FROM SOLAR.  THAT’S BELOW THE WORLD AVERAGE.  THAT BEING SAID, IT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE POPULAR EVERY YEAR, AND IS PROJECTED TO REACH 20% OF THE TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN THE UNITED STATES BY THE YEAR 2050.  

WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  205 - SOLAR PANELS

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB TO RANDALL AND KYLE FOR THE SUPER-POWERED EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  BEFORE WE GO, WE HAVE SOME INCREDIBLE PEOPLE TO THANK.

O:  THANK YOU TO OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, DENIZ B. AND SKYLER F.

D:  A BIG THANKS TO DENIZ AND SKYLER FOR THE SUPPORT.  IT MEANS SO MUCH TO US.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT BUTTERFLIES FOR LISTENERS IN TEXAS, CANADA, KANSAS, AND ILLINOIS.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.