How do solar panels work?
Solar panels are a serious investment for any homeowner. The price of a few panels for your roof may be expensive, but panels are becoming more and more affordable. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed this past February will enable more people to purchase solar panels, by offering a 30% tax credit on the solar panels and also removing the previous cap, so you can actually recoup the entire 30%. It will take more than 6 years for the solar panels to pay for themselves, however they will make your life a lot more sustainable, and will certainly add value to your home. Here is how they work. On a clear, sunny day, Earth’s surface is bombarded by about 1,000 watts of energy per square meter. This light could potentially strike the photovoltaic systems and produce enough energy to power our grids and our homes. Photovoltaic cells, which make up the solar panel, can convert sunlight into energy. The cells are made of semiconductors, such as silicon, which is most common. Once l
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) cells are produced from thin wafers of silicon with many of these connected together to form a solar panel. When exposed to sunlight, the cells convert the light directly into energy in the form of electricity. A number of these panels wired together form a solar array, which becomes the major component of a solar powered system.
Whether on a solar-powered calculator or an international space station, solar panels generate electricity using the same principles of electronics as chemical batteries or standard electrical outlets. With solar panels, it’s all about the free flow of electrons through a circuit. To understand how solar panels generate electrical power, it might help to take a quick trip back to high school chemistry class. The basic element of solar panels is the same element that helped create the computer revolution — pure silicon. When silicon is stripped of all impurities, it makes a ideal neutral platform for the transmission of electrons. Silicon also has some atomic-level properties which make it even more attractive for the creation of solar panels. Silicon atoms have room for eight electrons in their outer bands, but only carry four in their natural state. This means there is room for four more electrons. If one silicon atom contacts another silicon atom, each receives the other atom’s four
How Do Solar Panels Work? The simplified answer: Silicon is mounted beneath non-reflective glass to produce photovoltaic panels. These panels collect photons from the sun, converting them into DC electrical power. The power created then flows into an inverter. The inverter transforms the power into basic voltage and AC electrical power. That is a very brief explanation, but some may prefer a more in depth answer the question, “How do solar panels work?” Here is the more detailed response, though it still remains fairly basic: To start off, it is crucial that silicon be better explained. Silicon has four electrons in its outer shell. However, it has the capacity rto hold eight. By sharing these four electrons with other silicon atoms and their four shell electrons, the capacity of eight is filled. When they combine with each other in this way, silicon atoms develop a strong, stable bond. This structure is known as pure, crystalline silicon. Of course, this pure silicon is a poor conduct
Silicon is the raw material used to make solar cells. It’s the second most abundant element on Earth. There are three main types: • Monocrystalline or single crystal cells • The first generation of solar cells • excellent conversion rate (12 – 16%) (23% under laboratory conditions) BUT, • making them is a painstaking, therefore expensive process • another drawback – it takes a lot of energy to obtain pure crystal • Polycrystalline cells • lower production costs, requiring less energy to make • 11 – 13% conversion efficiency (18% in the lab) • Amorphous • a more recent technology (mid-70’s) • lower production costs, but unfortunately also • lower efficiency (8 – 10%) (13% in the lab) This process can use very thin layers of amorphous silicon (0.3 – 1.0 microns compared to 500 microns for the other types). Using a vacuum spraying process, very thin layers can be applied on glass, metal or even flexible plastic surfaces. Amorphous silicon is usually the kind used in consumer goods such as
