The main objective of using photovoltaic cells is to harness the energy of the sun and to make use of this energy for various purposes and in a variety of settings. The usage of photovoltaic cells to provide power to satellites has been well documented over the years. One of the reasons why solar panels work so well in space is perhaps due to the proximity to the sun as well as the intensity of the sun rays that reach the satellite.

The word photovoltaic is a combination of two words, ‘photo’ that means light and ‘voltaic’ that means electricity. These cells can convert solar energy into pulses of electricity are used commonly in a number of devices, which are placed contiguously in solar panels that could populate residential terraces and roofs. A large number of these can be configured to generate large amounts of energy for large scale applications and city wide usage.

The main advantage of solar cells is that they are a source of clean, green and renewable energy for both commercial as well as domestic applications. When it comes to remote locations, solar energy represents a huge advantage as well as opportunity. These mountainous or desert regions or even space are places where conventional energy cannot reach, leading to a situation where solar energy becomes a viable alternative.

Some of the largest uses of energy today are for heating. Millions of Mega Watts of energy are used up for heating, especially in colder regions. Use of solar energy can be a clean source of energy for heating, the only condition being that the mechanism of heating be controlled and regulated in order to ensure that the heating devices be preserved intact.

There is really no dearth of solar energy that can be tapped to meet the needs of the earth in a clean and non polluting way. The only thing that comes in the way of tapping this energy on a very large scale is technology which is still evolving. Today, technology has come to a point where water heating for homes and pools can be managed by using solar energy.

The angle, placement and the number of cells in panels determines the amount of solar energy that is trapped. For optimal results, it is best to have the solar cells face south wards at an angle of 15 to 40 degrees. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed a process that can be used to gauge the amount of energy one uses.