How Solar Panels Work Basic

Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity.

How solar panels work basic. In its neutral state each silicon atom is connected to its neighbors by 4 strong. It releases tiny packets of energy called photons which travel the 149 6 million kilometres from the sun to earth in about 8 5 minutes. Solar panels are composed of many smaller photovoltaic cells linked together. Most solar cells are made up of silicon a semi conductor.

Solar panels work by letting photons released by the sun knock electrons free from atoms and thus generate a flow of electricity. The science behind solar pv cells solar pv panels are comprised of many small photovoltaic cells photovoltaic meaning they can convert sunlight into electricity. If your panels don t get a lot of sun they won t work as efficiently as advertised. Solar panels are over 3 feet wide and 6 7 feet tall depending on configuration.

Solar energy works by capturing the sun s energy and quietly and effectively turning it into electricity for your home or business. Their placement and mounting affect your system performance more than any other facet of the job. Mounting your pv panels is of critical importance. 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.

Thus in a solar cell semi conductive silicon is sandwiched between conductive materials. Solar cells are sandwiches of conductive and semi conductive materials. You can buy equipment designed to mitigate this but it costs more. 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.

How many solar panels can be placed in series the designer needs to work out how many of those strings can be placed in parallel to get the desired system size. Once your designer has worked out what string length to be used i e. The more panels you deploy the more energy you generate. Pv panels which cost anywhere from 2 40 per watt to over 5 per watt are the single biggest expense of a pv system.

Shade snow and other obstacles reduce the output of your solar panels. How do solar panels work to generate electricity. When solar panels are put to work in a parallel array their voltage stays the same but you add up their current. Our sun is a natural nuclear reactor.