How Do Solar Photovoltaic Panels Generate Electricity

Solar power is arguably the cleanest most reliable form of renewable energy available and it can be used in several forms to help power your home or business solar powered photovoltaic pv panels convert the sun s rays into electricity by exciting electrons in silicon cells using the photons of light from the sun.

How do solar photovoltaic panels generate electricity.

A photovoltaic pv cell commonly called a solar cell is a nonmechanical device that converts sunlight directly into electricity. Photons carry solar energy sunlight is composed of photons or particles of solar energy. This electricity can then be used to supply renewable energy to your home or. There are many photovoltaic cells within a single solar panel and the current created by all of the cells together adds up to enough electricity to help power your home.

Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. 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. Solar pv cells generate electricity by absorbing sunlight and using that light energy to create an electrical current. Solar panels contain cells of semiconductive material usually silicon usually encased in a metallic frame and tempered glass.

It may surprise you to know that the ability of certain treated substances to generate electricity when light falls on them was discovered as far back as 1839. Ac energy then flows through the home s electrical panel and is distributed accordingly. This flow travels in a circuit of wires that connect groups of solar panels called arrays. That is 40 years before thomas eddison was credited with inventing the first workable electric light bulb.

When subject to sunlight photovoltaic cells create a flow of electric charge inside the solar panel due to the photoelectric effect.