Renewable Energy - Solar Power

The incident solar energy at the Earth's surface can vary but can reach about 1000W per square metre (1000Wm^-2) on a bright summer day.A solar heating panel of about 1m² absorbs energy at a rate of about 500W of energy. Solar heating panels heat water directly and can heat water to about 70°C on a sunny day.A solar cell panel produces electricity directly. A large array of solar cells and plenty of sunshine is needed to produce significant amounts of electricity.A solar panel of area 2m x 1m in sunlight of 1000Wm^-2 receives 2000W. If it outputs 43V and 10.2A (about 440W) it is 22% efficient. This means it is capable of converting 22% of the solar energy hitting it into electricity.