How Do Solar Power Panels Work

Here s an example of how a home solar energy installation works.

How do solar power panels work.

Compared with other renewable energy systems panels are characterized by their lack of movement. In 1839 french scientist edmond becquerel discovered that certain materials would give off sparks of electricity when struck with sunlight. Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. It s an idea that has been around for well over a century.

Old school solar technology uses large crystals made out of silicon which produces an electrical current when struck by light. First sunlight hits a solar panel on the roof. Silicon can do this because the electrons in the crystal get up and. Solar panels work by converting sunlight into electricity at the atomic scale.

Another option to consider is using micro inverters on each of the panels. Here are the main steps for how solar panels work for your home. Since this process happens at such a small scale it is invisible for humans. Solar photovoltaic pv panels are based on a high tech but remarkably simple technology that converts sunlight directly to electricity.

Photovoltaic cells absorb the sun s energy and convert it to dc electricity the solar inverter converts dc electricity from your solar modules to ac electricity which is used by most home. If one solar panel has an issue the rest of the solar array still performs efficiently. The latter is key for you to be able to track the energy production of your home s solar panels more on that later. Electricity flows through your home.

When solar cells are struck by light they produce a flow of electrons or electric current.