How does Photovoltaic technology work?
Photovoltaic (PV) systems produce electricity when exposed to sunlight. Sunlight is composed of particles of energy called photons. When sunlight strikes a PV material, photons will either pass through, be reflected, or be absorbed. If the photon is absorbed, its energy will be transferred to an electron in an atom of the PV material. With its new found energy, the electron is able to escape from its normal position in orbit around that atom. In this way, the electron can become part of, and augment, the current in an electrical circuit. This “photovoltaic effect” is the basic physical process through which sunlight is converted into electricity. The primary building block of a PV system is the PV cell. A typical PV cell is about 3 X 3-in. and very thin. By itself, a single PV cell produces only a small amount of electricity. Fortunately, we can easily increase the total power in a PV system by connecting several cells to form larger units called modules. Modules, in turn, can be conne
