Build Your Own Solar Panel

Posts Tagged ‘how do solar panels work’

Quote: “Photovoltaics is the direct conversion of light into electricity at the atomic level. Some materials exhibit a property known as the photoelectric effect that causes them to absorb photons of light and release electrons. When these free electrons are captured, an electric current results that can be used as electricity.” From Nasa

This is the simplified explanation of how solar panels work. Solar energy hits the Earth as a particle that we refer to as a photon.  When a solar panel is bombarded with photons,  some of them are absorbed by the semi-conductor material (commonly silicon).  Each photon that is absorbed can potentially shake loose an electron.  An electric current is a flow of electrons.  Solar cells are constructed with materials that force the free electrons to flow in one direction, thus creating an electrical current.  A typical solar panel is composed of a group of solar cells joined in series and/or in parallel by a conductive material.