You may be aware of solar panels and how they are able to provide a free, renewable energy, electricity or heating source right on your doorstep, yet you may not be entirely sure of how the actual technology works.
We shall now cover the basics of what a solar panel needs to work and how the electricity is generated through the photovoltaic cells.
The principle of a solar panel is that it collects solar radiation (from the sun) and converts this solar energy into electricity, the more powerful the sunlight, the greater output (in watts) you will receive (up to the solar cells maximum capacity.)
Solar panels are positioned to face the direction of the sun, this allows photons (contained in the suns rays) to strike the solar panel in an efficient manor. Solar cells are usually made of silicon, but most semi-conducter material is suitable for this purpose.
The electrons in the silicon cells absorb the photons that hit their surface, and if the photon was able to charge the electron enough, the electron will then become a conduction electron, which allows it to carry an electric charge. The electrons in the silicon cells require around 1.1 to 1.3 electron volts, to be transformed into a conduction electron. Around 70% of the suns rays contain this or a greater amount of energy, and so, solar panels are a very common choice for anyone who wishes to generate natural energy.
The two main disadvantages with solar technologies are; the silicon cells degrade greatly with time, and the electrons that do not receive enough energy to be converted into conduction electrons make the cell less efficient. This drop in efficiency is largely to do with the fact that the electrons that are not converted into conduction electrons, simply give off heat, which affects other parts of the solar panel.
So, there is a basic understanding of how a solar panel works. this understanding is fairly simple, and uses concepts that have been around for plenty of years.
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