How Are Solar Panels Used To Generate Electricity

Solar energy is one of the most affordable renewable energy sources available today.

How are solar panels used to generate electricity. So a solar panel will make many times more energy than it takes to make it. An inverter is. This electricity can then be used to supply renewable energy to your home or. Even ten years ago this study said it takes about 2 years of energy generation to pay back the energy used to make the solar panel.

Solar energy solar energy electricity generation. Solar energy is a renewable energy resource that is more affordable now than ever before and is used to produce electricity for a wide variety of residential and commercial uses. Unlike fossil fuels solar energy is an infinitely renewable energy source. To find out how solar panels work you need to understand how they re made.

To generate solar energy the photons radiated from the sun to earth must be collected converted into a usable format and then delivered to an electronic device or the electric grid. Solar panel wattage represents a solar panel s theoretical power production under ideal sunlight and temperature conditions. Eventually fossil fuels a non renewable energy source will be depleted and the world will have to turn toward renewable energy. Solar panels use photovoltaic cells to produce electricity according to the united states department of energy.

Photovoltaic method using solar panels and semiconductors is the easiest and most widely used method of harnessing solar energy to generate electricity for homes and small to medium sized industrial and commercial establishments. Electricity produced from sunlight will be a key part of our journey toward sustainable energy in the future. Arrays of photovoltaic cells are normally used to collect the energy from the sun and convert it into electricity. When subject to sunlight photovoltaic cells create a flow of electric charge inside the solar panel due to the photoelectric effect.

This flow travels in a circuit of wires that connect groups of solar panels called arrays. In such cells a small electric voltage is generated when light strikes the junction between a metal and a semiconductor such as silicon or the junction between two different semiconductors. Solar radiation may be converted directly into electricity by solar cells photovoltaic cells. Wattage is calculated by multiplying volts x amps where volts represents the amount of force of the electricity and amperes amps refers to the aggregate amount of energy used.

Many solar panels use silicon one of the planet s most common elements. Then it makes energy with no energy cost at all for the rest of its life. Here s the process demystified.