Fiber Optics in Solar Energy Applications

Solar energy has recently become a popular alternative energy source to meet demands around the world due to the fluctuation of oil/coal prices and global warming issues. Oil is a limited and diminishing resource, and because of this, the price surges when demand is high. Oil and/or coal powered generators, when converting fossil fuel into electrical power, produce enormous CO2 and other pollutants that are harmful to the earth.

In a solar farm power generation system, large amounts of current are generated from the heat of the sun. In order to protect the equipment from huge current leakage, galvanic insulation becomes important to ensure the power system’s quality and reliability. Fiber optics offer insulation protection from high-voltage/current glitches and unwanted signals into power equipment controls and communication. It is also feasible to use fiber optics to control the tracking capabilities of the solar panels. Fiber optics communication can cover longer link distance connections compared to copper wire. As the solar farms grow in size, monitoring and controlling all the solar panels requires long link distance connections, which is only possible with fiber optics cable.