How Solar Panels Work

Each solar panel is made up of tons of individual photovoltaic cells.

How solar panels work.

The slice on top gets phosphorus for a negative charge and the slice on bottom. Each cell is a sandwich made from two slices of semiconductor material usually silicon. It s an idea that has been around for well over a century. Solar photovoltaic pv panels are based on a high tech but remarkably simple technology that converts sunlight directly to electricity.

Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. Ac energy then flows through the home s electrical panel and is distributed accordingly. How do solar panels work. Solar panels are made up of these small things called pv cells and many pv cells linked together make a solar panel.

In 1839 french scientist edmond becquerel discovered that certain materials would give off sparks of electricity when struck with sunlight. 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. Each slice of silicon gets an addition of material that will give it either a positive or negative charge. When you really break them down a solar panel is nothing more than a big sheet of glass over a metal frame with a patch of wiring that runs to your home s main.