How Do Solar Panels Woirk

Old school solar technology uses large crystals made out of silicon which produces an electrical current when struck by light.

How do solar panels woirk.

Ac energy then flows through the home s electrical panel and is distributed accordingly. Solar energy works when the photons of an atom knock the electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. Solar panels work by letting photons released by the sun knock electrons free from atoms and thus generate a flow of electricity. When you really break them down a solar panel is nothing more than a big sheet of glass over a metal frame with a patch of wiring that runs to your home s main electrical panel.

It s an idea that has been around for well over a century. Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. Silicon can do this because the electrons in the crystal get up and. The current produced is directly dependent on how much light strikes the module.

Modules are designed to supply electricity at a certain voltage such as a common 12 volts system. Solar panels actually comprise many smaller units. How do solar panels work. When subject to sunlight photovoltaic cells create a flow of electric charge inside the solar panel due to the photoelectric effect.

Solar panels contain cells of semiconductive material usually silicon usually encased in a metallic frame and tempered glass. The solar cells that you see on calculators and satellites are also called photovoltaic pv cells which as the name implies photo meaning light and voltaic meaning electricity convert sunlight directly into electricity. Solar photovoltaic pv panels are based on a high tech but remarkably simple technology that converts sunlight directly to electricity. In 1839 french scientist edmond becquerel discovered that certain materials would give off sparks of electricity when struck with sunlight.

A number of solar cells electrically connected to each other and mounted in a support structure or frame is called a photovoltaic module. Solar panels work by absorbing sunlight with photovoltaic cells generating direct current dc energy and then converting it to usable alternating current ac energy with the help of inverter technology. Most solar cells are made out of silicon.