How Do Solar Panels Work

To make a solar panel work with some serious grunt lots of these cells are connected together.

How do solar panels work. 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. How do solar panels work to generate electricity. How do solar panels work. A solar panel is made up of numerous photovoltaic cells linked together.

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 panels actually comprise many smaller units. Making solar cells into solar panels. A standard solar panel also known as a solar module consists of a layer of silicon cells a metal frame a glass casing and various wiring to allow current to flow from the silicon cells silicon atomic 14 on the periodic table is a nonmetal with conductive properties that allow it to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity.

Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. The panel is encased in glass with an anti reflective coating that ensures that the solar panels get the most sun exposure possible. A typical configuration would be 60 cells which would make a solar panel that produces 60 x 4w 240w of power. How do solar panels work.

Solar panels work by letting photons released by the sun knock electrons free from atoms and thus generate a flow of electricity. Under the glass there is insulation that protects the components from humidity and regulates the temperature inside the panel to keep it operating efficiently. The electricity generated by rooftop solar panels first supplies on site needs with the grid supplying additional electricity as needed. Each of the 60 cells is wired in series the following diagram show how this works.

Solar panels are made out of photovoltaic cells which is why generating electricity with solar panels is also called solar pv that convert the sun s energy into electricity. A module is a group of cells connected electrically and packaged into a frame more commonly known as a solar panel which can then be grouped into larger solar. The range of technologies including small scale distributed solar mostly rooftop systems and large scale pv systems come with different advantages for home owners businesses and utilities.