Solar Power
From Open Energy Information
What is Solar Power?
Solar power converts light and heat from the sun into electricity. Solar panels convert light into electric current through the photovoltaic effect, while concentrated solar power (CSP) systems use mirrors to focus sunlight onto a small area, generating heat that typically drives a steam turbine.[1] Explore the resources below to learn about the latest in Solar Power Technology.
Solar on OpenEI
Open Energy Data Initiative
Enabling research, collaboration, and transparency by providing open access to energy data and information. OEDI provides free access to data generated from efforts funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and supporting projects and partnerships.
Visit OEDI
InSPIRE
The Innovative Solar Practices Integrated with Rural Economies and Ecosystems (InSPIRE) project explores the environmental compatibility and mutual benefits of solar development with agriculture and native landscapes.
Visit InSPIRE
RAPID
Solar RAPID Toolkit
Navigating the complex system of federal and state regulations and permits can be one of the biggest hurdles solar developers face. The Solar Regulatory and Permitting Information Desktop Toolkit offers a solution.
Visit RAPID
Photo Voltaic DataAcQuisition
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) PVDAQ project provides a data web portal to allow researchers and PV owners around the US to search and access data from PV systems.
Visit PVDAQ
Solar Applications
National Solar Radiation Database
The National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) contains timeseries meteorological data on the three most common measurements of solar radiation: global horizontal, direct normal and diffuse horizontal irradiance.
System Advisor Model
The System Advisor Model (SAM) is a desktop application that calculates a grid-connected photovoltaic system's electrical output using separate module and inverter models.
PVWatts® Calculator
Estimates the energy production of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems throughout the world.
Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS)
PVGIS provides information on solar radiation and photovoltaic system performance for any location in the world, except the North and South Poles.
Department of Energy Organizations
Solar Energy Technologies Office
The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and other U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offices are advancing solar energy technologies.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory Solar
NREL's solar research strives to enable reliable, low-cost solar energy at scale—on the grid and beyond the grid.
Solar Technologies
- Passive Solar Homes
- Passive solar design takes advantage of a building’s site, climate, and materials to minimize energy use. [2]
- Photovoltaics
- Photovoltaic (PV) technologies – more commonly known as solar panels – generate power using devices that absorb energy from sunlight and convert it into electrical energy through semiconducting materials.[3]
- Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power
- Concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) technologies can be used to generate electricity by converting energy from sunlight to power a turbine, but the same basic technologies can also be used to deliver heat to a variety of industrial applications, like water desalination, enhanced oil recovery, food processing, chemical production, and mineral processing. [4]