ABSTRACT
For the society to progress further, demand for energy in the useful form is bound to go up very rapidly. A rough estimation indicates that the world needs to double its energy supply by 2050. It is believed that the ability to fulfill this steeply increasing demand, primarily in the form of electricity, will form the benchmark for progress of human civilization. Solar energy can be utilized either directly in the form of heat energy or as electrical energy; with the latter being the more preferred and predominant form for technological usage. The very basic principle governing the conversion of solar energy to electrical energy involves the excitement of electrons to the conduction band, along with a simultaneous creation of holes, upon absorption of solar energy by the material used as the “photovoltaic.” In the case of wind energy, the natural wind at the earth's atmosphere is utilized to generate electrical energy via mechanical (kinetic) energy.
