Do solar collectors use photovoltaic cells (solar cells)?

Question

Im doing a report for school and im curious if solar collectors use solar cells. And are solar collectors, solar panels, and photovoltaic modules all the same?

Answer 1

Most people are talking about Photovoltaic cells when they Say solar collectors.

Actually solar collectors can be several types. A collector can heat water or other liquid, heat air, or can be an array of mirrors to focus the sun to a point where the higher heat is used.

Answer 2

Simple collectors just heat water so that you save on your heating bills

Answer 3

There are 2 types of solar panels, photovoltaic which collect electricity and panels that collect heat through water or antifreeze circulating through pipes which are arranged under a

glass cover, like a small greenhouse.

Answer 4

They are pretty much all the same thing... The difference is primarly in what the companies that manufacture them want to call them.

Most of the highest energy producing photovoltaic cells are made from Silycon and that is what makes them expensive.

There are cheeper atlertnatives made from more "Green"materials but they don't produce half the power of the Silycon type.

There are THOUSANDS of different materials being tested for photo-potential.

Currently the technology isn't all that cost effective for the average person and in my opinion we should be looking to wind power until we can perfect the solar technology.

Jay Lenno has a new type of wind turbine on the roof of his garage to power the lights and the air conditioning... It is a compact design that produces far more and far more consistant power then solar.

They just had a great episode of Modern Marvels and Nova on about these topics... Check them out if you can find them!!

Good luck!

Answer 5

solar colectiors use mirrors to focus light. this light can  be used to turn t turbine or to create a charge on a photovoltaic cell.

Answer 6

Good questions!

1.  No, not all solar collectors use solar (photovoltaic, or PV) cells.  Some just turn the sunlight into heat, which can be done with something as simple as flat black paint.

2.  No, they're not all the same.  "Solar collector" is a very large category which includes solar panels, and PV arrays are a type of solar panel.  Both PV panels and solar water heaters are solar collectors, but a solar water heater is not a PV panel and vice versa.