Solar Panels How They Work Simple

The manufacturing process involves cutting individual wafers of silicon that can be affixed onto a solar panel.

Solar panels how they work simple.

Solar photovoltaic pv panels are based on a high tech but remarkably simple technology that converts sunlight directly to electricity. 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. A solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity according to live science. 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.

Each of the 60 cells is wired in series the following diagram show how this works. First generation solar cells work like we ve shown in the box up above. It s an idea that has been around for well over a century. They use a single simple junction between n type and p type silicon layers which are sliced from separate ingots.

Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. Mono crystalline silicon cells are more efficient than polycrystalline or amorphous solar cells. Inside a solar cell you have two wafer thin layers of silicon crystal placed on top of each other to make a sort of silicon sandwich. Making solar cells into solar panels to make a solar panel work with some serious grunt lots of these cells are connected together.

Ac energy then flows through the home s electrical panel and is distributed accordingly. Monocrystalline solar panels are produced from one large silicon block and are produced in silicon wafer formats. Solar panels actually comprise many smaller units. In 1839 french scientist edmond becquerel discovered that certain materials would give off sparks of electricity when struck with sunlight.

A typical configuration would be 60 cells which would make a solar panel that produces 60 x 4w 240w of power.