QUESTION

Hard

Environment & Ecology

Prelims 2014

With reference to technologies for solar power production, consider the following statements:

  1. ‘Photovoltaics’ is a technology that generates electricity by direct conversion of light into electricity, while ‘Solar Thermal’ is a technology that utilizes the Sun’s rays to generate heat which is further used in the electricity generation process.
  2. Photovoltaics generates Alternating Current (AC), while Solar Thermal generates Direct Current (DC).
  3. India has a manufacturing base for Solar Thermal technology, but not for Photovoltaics.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Photovoltaics are best known as a method for generating electric power by using solar cells to convert energy from the sun into a flow of electrons by the photovoltaic effect.

Solar cells produce direct current electricity from sunlight which can be used to power equipment or to recharge a battery.

The first practical application of photovoltaics was to power orbiting satellites and other spacecraft, but today the majority of photovoltaic modules are used for grid-connected power generation. In this case, an inverter is required to convert the DC to AC.

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