Basic Understanding Of How Solar Panels Work

The following diagram shows the major components in a typical basic solar power system.

Basic understanding of how solar panels work.

The conductive wire brings the electricity to the inverter where it is transformed from dc electricity to ac which is used to power buildings. Solar intertie photovoltaic pv systems are not particularly complex. First there are panels which collect the sunlight and turn it into electricity. Solar panels actually comprise many smaller units.

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. This dc electricity is fed to the battery via a solar regulator which ensures the battery is charged properly and not damaged. A solar panel consists of an array of pv aka photovoltaic pv photo light voltaics electricity cells which consist of a positive and a negative wafer of silicon placed under a toughened layer of glass. How do solar panels work.

What are solar panels made of and how do they work. The solar panel converts sunlight into dc electricity to charge the battery. Ac energy then flows through the home s electrical panel and is distributed accordingly. Basic steps in solar energy generation and transmission sunlight hits the solar panels and creates an electric field.

Solar cells are made of the same kinds of semiconductor materials such as silicon used in the microelectronics industry. For solar cells a thin semiconductor wafer is specially treated to form. When photons hit a solar cell they knock electrons loose from their atoms. You will learn to compare solar energy to other energy resources and explain how solar panels or photovoltaics pv for short convert sunlight to electricity.

The electricity generated flows to the edge of the panel and into a conductive wire. Exposure to light changes silicon s electrical characteristics which generates an electric current. Solar cells are made primarily from silicon a chemical element with conductive properties. 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 cell is a small square of silicon about 6 x 6 with electrical contact plates on the face. When electrons flow through such a circuit they generate electricity.