How Solar Panels System Work

Once solar panels are installed on your roof and begin to create energy there are a few steps required to turn it into energy your home can use.

How solar panels system work.

Solar panels first convert solar energy or sunlight into dc power using what is known as the photovoltaic pv effect. As the sun hits the solar panels they generate direct current dc electricity where the electrons flow around a circuit in one direction. 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 actually comprise many smaller units.

A solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity according to live science. The larger the system the less it typically costs per watt. How does solar energy work. The dc power can then be stored in a battery or converted by a solar inverter into ac power which can be used to run home appliances.

A standard solar panel also known as a solar module consists of a layer of silicon cells a metal frame a glass casing and various wiring to allow current to flow from the silicon cells silicon atomic 14 on the periodic table is a nonmetal with conductive properties that allow it to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity. As of 2009 a residential solar panel setup averaged somewhere between 8 and 10 per watt to install source. Of course using solar power is a different process but there are also some surprising similarities to traditional power. All solar power systems work on the same basic principles.

This process involves several steps and uses different resources and it all starts with that familiar bright orb in the sky. It s also important to remember that many solar power systems don t completely cover the electricity load 100 percent of the time. You can t have solar power without solar panels. That s a technical way of saying that the panel s photovoltaic cells convert the energy in sunlight to electricity specifically direct current dc.

National renewable energy laboratory.