**2. Solar generator**

Two components are required to have a functional solar energy generator; they are the collector and a storage unit. The collector simply collects the radiation that falls on it and converts a fraction of it to other forms of energy; either electricity and heat or heat alone. Methods of collecting and storing solar energy vary depending on the uses planned for the solar generator. The storage unit is required because of the non-constant nature of solar energy; at certain times only a very small amount of radiation will be received.

At night or during heavy cloud cover, for example, the amount of energy produced by the collector will be quite small. The storage unit can hold the excess energy produced during the periods of maximum availability, and release it when the productivity drops. In practice, a backup power supply is usually added, too, for the situations when the amount of energy required is greater than both what is being produced and what is stored in the container.
