How Do Solar Panels Work Basic

With all the news about solar power lately i thought it would be useful to go back to how pv solar panels work.

How do solar panels work basic.

Solar panels are composed of many smaller photovoltaic cells linked together. Solar panels actually comprise many smaller units. The science behind solar pv cells solar pv panels are comprised of many small photovoltaic cells photovoltaic meaning they can convert sunlight into electricity. Solar panels work by letting photons released by the sun knock electrons free from atoms and thus generate a flow of electricity.

Solar cells are made of the same kinds of semiconductor materials such as silicon used in the microelectronics industry. The more panels you deploy the more energy you generate. Now that we have a basic idea of the generation and flow of solar electricity let s take a deeper dive into the science behind the solar photovoltaic panel. To make a solar panel work with some serious grunt lots of these cells are connected together.

First there are panels which collect the sunlight and turn it into electricity. How do solar panels work to generate electricity. Solar intertie photovoltaic pv systems are not particularly complex. A typical configuration would be 60 cells which would make a solar panel that produces 60 x 4w 240w of power.

The dc signals are fed into an inverter which converts the dc into grid compatible ac power which is what you use in your home. Various switch boxes are included for safety reasons and. Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. Making solar cells into solar panels.

For a comprehensive look at some other solar power technologies check out this. The diagram above illustrates the operation of a basic photovoltaic cell also called a solar cell.