Solar Power
Photovoltaic (PV) Solar power is harnessing the suns
energy to produce electricity. One of the fastest growing energy sources, new
technologies are developing at a rapid pace.
Solar cells are becoming more efficient, transportable
and even flexible, allowing for easy installation. PV has mainly been used to
power small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a
single solar cell to off-grid homes powered by a photovoltaic array. The 1973
oil crisis stimulated a rapid rise in the production of PV during the 1970s and
early 1980s.
Steadily
falling oil prices during the early 1980s, however, led to a reduction in
funding for photovoltaic R&D and a discontinuation of the tax credits
associated with the Energy Tax Act of 1978. These factors moderated growth to
approximately 15% per year from 1984 through 1996. Since the mid-1990s,
leadership in the PV sector has shifted from the US to Japan and Germany.
Between 1992 and 1994 Japan increased R&D funding, established net metering
guidelines, and introduced a subsidy program to encourage the installation of
residential PV systems.
Solar
installations in recent years have also largely begun to expand into
residential areas, with governments offering incentive programs to make “green”
energy a more economically viable option. In Canada the government offers the
RESOP (Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program).
