'Solar Sail', Sailing With Power--Intro of BP's solar demonstration project in Guangdong, China
When the morning sun beams onto the graceful architecture of the 307.2 square meter Solar Sail, BP's brand-new solar power demonstration project, sunlight begins its daily journey permeating into the project's solar cells and silicon crystals, powering the Guangdong Science Center through the strength of sunshine.
Solar Sail, a solar power demonstration project designed, invested and constructed by BP, is one integrated part of the Guangdong Science Center in south China's Guangdong province. The design was inspired by the idea of the winds of change. The wind takes the solar power system design and gives it shape and life. The structure, 20-meter-high and 30-meter-wide, is a lightweight combination of fabric, aluminum and transparent solar modules and is weighted into the ground with large concrete plinths. Absorbing as much sunlight as possible to produce green power, the Solar Sail also provides pleasant cool shade for visitors.
Solar Sail is equipped with 256 BP Solar glass-glass modules, total system capacity is 27KWp (kilowatt-peak). The expected power output is 30,000kWh annually, equivalent to eliminating over 45 tons of CO2 emission. Electricity produced during day time can be effectively stored for lighting in the night. Through four 6kW grid connect inverters, Solar Sail can also transport excess electricity to Guangzhou's city grid.
Light consists of particles called photons. When light hits the solar cell, some of the photons are absorbed in the region of the junction, freeing electrons in the silicon crystal. If the photons have enough energy, the electrons will be able to overcome the electric field at the junction and are free to move through the silicon atoms in the cell and into an external circuit as energy. There are no materials consumed or emitted during the solid-state and self-contained photovoltaic process, which makes it an environmentally friendly, energy-saving and emission-reducing one. All at the same time.
As a demonstration project, Solar Sail can also act as an environmental education base for Chinese people, especially teenagers and youths, while also displaying the harmonious coexistence between energy production and environment protection.
For every visitor to the Guangdong Science Center, Solar Sail will not only look architecturally stunning, but also serve as a powerful reminder of the great benefits we can get from the latest developments in energy science and technology. When people come and admire the Solar Sail, they can also view information about its photovoltaic system performance, study environmental data, and learn about solar power, through an electronic screen embedded into the aluminum structure. The Solar Sail has an important educational function to play, promoting the awareness of green energy and environmental protection among the Chinese.
Perhaps the essential thing about Solar Sail is not its production capability or its long-term impact on China's environment but the dream its designer had in mind: the coming to the age of solar power.
