Solar panels in Burkina Faso Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Solar panels in Burkina Faso - Essay Example Lastly the paper conveys the advantages and disadvantages of solar panels and its status in the upcoming years. Keywords: Burkina Faso, Solar cells, P-N junction, Electron-hole pairs Poverty is one of the major problems in many of the undeveloped countries throughout the world. Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa, currently ranked by UN as the third poorest country in the world is facing a multitude of problems as a consequence of its increasing poverty (BBC News). With a nation of about 16 million of which 80% are dependent on agriculture, the 2009 West African floods which displaced 150000 people and also resulted in destruction of homes, shortage of food and water supplies, lack of access to the hospital and a massive decrease in power supply after the destruction of leading power plants caused severe problems for the people (CNN). Western Africa is one of those areas which are facing extreme energy problems especially in the electrical sector. According to an articl e by Itai Madamombe (African Renewal) blackouts are routine in almost all West African countries. Being a landlocked country Burkina Faso is unable to achieve its required electricity production via hydroelectric power stations. According to the CIA world factbook the electricity production of Burkina Faso in 2009 was 664.4 million kWh which was well short of the electricity consumption of the previous year. This led to imports of around 144.6 million kWh. ECOWAS has thus drawn plans to employ alternative sources of electrical energy with special emphasis on solar power so as to provide regular electricity at a much cheaper cost. Rollo, a small town near the capital Ouagadougou with a population of just 7783 people was deeply affected in the 2009 floods (Wikipedia). Lack of clean water supply and poor sanitation resulted in an increased infant and under-five mortality rates. As the population increased and agricultural land extended the need for this clean water is soaring. To achie ve the above mentioned goals, photovoltaic solar panels can be installed within water pumps so as to provide this precious commodity. The mechanism behind its working along with its installation procedure, and its efficiency are all discussed below. Solar photovoltaic energy conversion is a one-step conversion process changing the incoming light energy from the sun into the required electrical energy. According to The Physics of Solar cells the light energy comprises of many tiny and minuscule particles known as photons. When light energy is absorbed by the panel, the electrons are excited. The built-in structure of the panel however herds the electrons in a single direction of the external circuit creating an electromotive force (E.M.F). This force then helps in driving the electrons through the load to do the electrical work. A Solar panel consists of many solar cells arrayed together. A blocking diode or a bypass is used to prevent total loss of energy in case one of the cells st ops working. Figure 1 shows a structure of a typical solar cell. A solar cell is made of semiconductor usually silicon. It has three layers, a top layer of N-type semiconductor, an absorber layer consisting of a P-N junction and a back layer of P-type semiconductor. An anti-reflective coating is used so as to prevent reflection and increase efficiency. Also a protective covering of some material like glass is used which allows

The formation of Salt Traps and their importance in the Gulf of Mexico Research Paper

The formation of Salt Traps and their importance in the Gulf of Mexico - Research Paper Example Whereas many traps can be identified, the salt dome traps will be given the greatest emphasis on this paper. When masses of salt are thrust upward with clastic rocks, they tend to block other substances that might come along porous rocks. Due to the fact that salt is impermeable, they block the hydrocarbons in the underlying permeable rocks and create a reservoir. The Gulf of Mexico is one of the leading petroleum producing provinces in the world for more than 100 years (Hudec, Jackson & Peel 77). It remains one of the most active and intensely explored regions due principally to the tight sand and shale gas which promise greater potentials into the future. The regional stratigraphy of the Gulf of Mexico has been a bit elusive due to the fact that the classification of various features has been generally impeded by the changes of oceanic processes. Nonetheless, deep water margins that occasionally exhibit salt mobility further complicate the potentials of exploration. The most critical aspects of such a program however must rely on adequate understanding of the charge, reservoir development and trap integrity for intensive exploration activities to be deployed (Gemmer et al 202). Charge refers to the time of sedimentation processes as correlated to the allochthonous emplacement of salt as well as the rate of formation of salt welds. The process of reservoir development is critical because it determines the manner of sand distribution during the process of evolution within the basin (Seldon & Flemings 202). The third consideration which is trap integrity is crucial because it is a factor directly related to how salt trap structures chan ge over time and the influence such changes may pose to petroleum migration. The region of the Gulf of Mexico is often cited as the most potential even in the 21st century as a result of the new findings from geological explorations (Fort & Jean-Pierre 270; Seldon & Flemings 202). Deep sea oil exploration traditionally