Electricity from Light: How?
Light striking certain substances causes the surface of the material to emit electrons. It is as if light somehow kicks electrons right out of atoms. Light striking other substances causes the material to accept electrons. It is the combination of these two substances that can be made use of to cause electrons to flow through a conductor. This is the so called photo-electric effect. Photovoltaic means sunlight converted into a flow of electrons (electricity). Photovoltaic devices, or solar cells, are like generators that work in sunlight. They make electricity without waste, noise or pollution. They produce electricity without combustion. A solar cell is a solid state device in which there are no moving parts (except for photons and electrons) so nothing wears out. The fuel is “photons”. These can be thought of as “packets of sunlight” that carry a phenomenal amount of energy to earth at a prodigious rate. The Solar Panels of today make use of this abundant energy by using silicon crys
