How Solar Panels Make Electricity

Solar panels contain cells of semiconductive material usually silicon usually encased in a metallic frame and tempered glass.

How solar panels make electricity. A south facing installation will. There are many factors which affect how well the cells do that. Sunlight is converted directly into electricity by each solar cell in the panels. An ideal site will have no shade on the panels especially during the prime sunlight hours of 9 a m.

The electricity generated by a solar pv system is governed by its rated power output but it s also dependent on other factors such as panel efficiency and temperature sensitivity as well as the degree of shading that the system experiences and the tilt angle and azimuth of the roof on which it s installed. Unlike fossil fuels solar energy is an infinitely renewable energy source. Solar power systems like the one on our roof produce power directly from the sun. Ac energy then flows through the home s electrical panel and is distributed accordingly.

This all happens as light hits a unit called a photovoltaic cell. Inside each solar panel is a conductive metal plate connected to wires that lead to a fused array combiner. Solar panels work by allowing particles of light called photons to knock electrons from their atomic orbitals. When this occurs a flow of electricity is generated and this electricity is harnessed and preserved as electrical energy.

To understand this process further let s look at the solar energy components that make up a complete solar power system. How do solar panels make electricity. Eventually fossil fuels a non renewable energy source will be depleted and the world will have to turn toward renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. Energy from the array is sent through an inverter which transforms the initial direct electrical current into the alternating electrical current required to power human made structures.

When subject to sunlight photovoltaic cells create a flow of electric charge inside the solar panel due to the photoelectric effect. 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. Solar panels use photovoltaic cells to produce electricity according to the united states department of energy. To figure out how many kilowatt hours kwh your solar panel system puts out per year you need to multiply the size of your system in kw dc times the 8 derate factor times.

This flow travels in a circuit of wires that connect groups of solar panels called arrays.