Photovoltaic Solar Energy Applications
What is the photovoltaic energy?
Photovoltaic solar energy is that which is obtained by converting sunlight into electricity using a technology based on the photoelectric effect.
The photoelectric effect was discovered in 1839 by the French physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel, however, it was not until 1949 when the American inventor Rusell Ohl patented the first photovoltaic plants, which were developed due to the space race that was taking place at the time.
Its main application during the Cold War was to supply electricity to geostationary communications satellites.
Since these beginnings, photovoltaic solar energy has been making its way as renewable energy compared to the conventional ones.
Thus, its greater accessibility and the progressive lowering of costs (since the 1980s, photovoltaic plants have become cheaper by 10% per year) have made this energy reach a historical peak.
In 2019, the capacity of photovoltaic technology doubled in Spain and continues to do so during this year, reaching its maximum this past March, where the national photovoltaic solar park, according to a release offered by the Red Eléctrica de España, has generated 29.1% more than in March of the previous year.
It is anticipated that these data increase with the arrival of the summer months and thus be able to continue advancing towards an energy transition.
Photovoltaic solar energy is renewable, inexhaustible, non-polluting and modular in nature, so it can be adapted to both large plants and small modules. These characteristics make this energy possess useful applications which we will see next.
Photovoltaic Energy Applications
Before starting to delve into the development of the various applications of photovoltaic solar energy, it is necessary to differentiate between the two types of existing photovoltaic plants.
On the one hand, there are the grid-connected photovoltaic plants, in which the consumption used is independent of the energy generated by the panels. Its main advantage is that the energy that you do not consume can be returned to the company and therefore savings are achieved on the bill.
On the other hand, we find the isolated photovoltaic plants, that is, those that do not connect to the network. These plants allow complete autonomy through the use of batteries that conserve excess energy.
The main applications of photovoltaic solar energy are found in various branches such as telecommunications, rural electrification, agricultural and livestock applications, or lighting, signaling and control, among others.
In the telecommunications we find application on mobile telephony, through RF installations that work with solar panels, in radars, in communication centers, in radio coverage and communications in railway tunnels, etc…
Another possibility offered by this energy is its application in electrification rural and agricultural and livestock activities. Thus, small rural towns can be reached with a centralized system, direct drive water pumps are developed or milking and milk cooling systems are created.
The best known application is the illuminationThus, through solar plants we can not only illuminate our houses, but it can also be used for public lighting, assuming significant savings for the coffers.
Maritime signaling or the control of meteorological and seismic stations are two other of the various applications achieved by photovoltaic solar energy.
Why train in this area?
The photovoltaic solar energy sector is becoming one of the main sectors of the future every day. Thus, today, it is one of the renewable energies that contributes the most to GDP, together with wind power, and generates 1/3 of the jobs offered by all renewable energies
Consequently, to this favorable evolution of the sector, we are faced with a proportional increase in jobs in this area. This job is characterized by requiring a highly qualified (42% of employees are university graduates and 36% have vocational training) and because it is stable (83% of jobs in this field are permanent jobs).
Given this paradigm, qualified and quality training will help us enter a sector with exponential development.
Where to train in Photovoltaic Solar Energy?
As we have seen, training in the area is very important since it is a sector of the future, with stable jobs that require high levels of qualification.
You can obtain this specialization through accessible courses that facilitate training in this area, such as Photovoltaic Solar Energy Course from Inesem Business School in which a complete vision is offered on the use of solar energy as renewable energy, or the Advanced Course in Electrical Self-consumption Installations with Renewable Energies in which technical and legal training is provided to specialize in electrical self-consumption installations.
training through Inesem Business School It allows you to do it online, with specialized teachers in the subject and at an affordable price. Thus, these courses have a university degree of 4 ECTS credits, which allows them to continue developing further training.
