SOLAR PV
The basic concept is the sun shines onto the solar PV system which then converts the sun rays into electrical energy.
Solar system is made of semiconducting materials which cause the electron in the material atoms to loosen move down an energy level which causes the electron to flow through the semiconducting material to produce electric direct current.1 This current is then transferred through the wires and when reaches to an inverter for converting the direct current to alternative current to distribute the current in the electricity board to the grid.
The current capacity of solar PV in Scotland in 2016 is 229 MW.
The first and largest solar farm in Scotland, built by family ice cream company Mackie’s
Advantages
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No emission and has less impact on the environment
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Electricity produced from natural resource, the sun
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This system can produce energy which can be applied directly to avoid high energy prices
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Government scheme applied and this can be benefited from the government feed-in tariff and is guaranteed
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Any excess energy can be exported to the national grid
Disadvantages
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Expensive to install
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Materials in the panels are toxic and maintenance can cause worries over the payback time
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Disposal material is a concern
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Replacement and maintenance needs to be regular
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Payback time is very extensive, normally 20 years
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Natural resource is required before energy can be generated which is not regular
Environmental impacts
Generating solar energy from the PV panel does not itself have any environmental impact as it is a green electricity production and will help to reduce carbon emission and other components which will react with the air to a sustainable development for the future and meet Scottish government target to reduce carbon emission. It has many environmental, social and economic benefits by creating jobs in the renewable energy sector. PV systems have many positive impacts and in contract, there are negative impacts. The negative impact is when manufacturing the PV panels, it requires semiconducting materials which can be toxic. A coolant is used in the panel and if it breaks it can form toxic components with water or the air. Land usage can be also a big concern when developing solar energy on large scale. Potential planning is required and this can have impacts on human and animal as land can be used for farming and house development and any toxic from panels can cause impacts on land and animals.
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Reference:
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Treatise on solar energy—Vol. 1: Fundamentals of solar energy. (1984). Solar Energy, 33(5), p.477.
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Nrel.gov. (n.d.). Solar Photovoltaic Technology Basics | NREL. [online] Available at: https://www.nrel.gov/workingwithus/re-photovoltaics.html [Accessed 9 May 2017].
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Tsoutsos, T., Frantzeskaki, N. and Gekas, V. (2005). Environmental impacts from the solar energy technologies. Energy Policy, 33(3), pp.289-296.