Reference no: EM131033077

Solar or photovoltaic (PV) cells convert sunlight to electricity and are commonly used to power calculators, satellites, remote communication systems, and even pumps. The conversion of light to electricity is called the photoelectric effect. It was first discovered in 1839 by Frenchman Edmond Becquerel, and the first PV module, which consisted of several cells connected to each other, was built in 1954 by Bell Laboratories. The PV modules today have conversion efficiencies of about 12 to 15 percent. Noting that the solar energy incident on a normal surface on earth at noontime is about 1000 W/m2 during a clear day, PV modules on a 1-m2 surface can provide as much as 150 W of electricity. The annual average daily solar energy incident on a horizontal surface in the United States ranges from about 2 to 6 kWh/m2. A PV-powered pump is to be used in Arizona to pump water for wildlife from a depth of 180 m at an average rate of 400 L/day. Assuming a reasonable efficiency for the pumping system, which can be defined as the ratio of the increase in the potential energy of the water to the electrical energy consumed by the pump, and taking the conversion efficiency of the PV cells to be 0.13 to be on the conservative side, determine the size of the PV module that needs to be installed, in m2.