How Solar Panels Produce Electricity

All solar panels are rated by the amount of dc direct current power they produce under standard test conditions.

How solar panels produce electricity.

To produce the maximum amount of power per square foot a solar panel has to be well designed to handle temperature spectrum angle and amount of light. Energy from the array is sent through an inverter which transforms the initial direct electrical current into the alternating electrical current required to power human made structures. Eventually fossil fuels a non renewable energy source will be depleted and the world will have to turn toward renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. Inside each solar panel is a conductive metal plate connected to wires that lead to a fused array combiner.

This all happens as light hits a unit called a photovoltaic cell. Some people associate solar power with heat because heat is associated with lots of sunlight but if there s too much heat your solar panels may not work as effectively. Solar panels contain cells of semiconductive material usually silicon usually encased in a metallic frame and tempered glass. When subject to sunlight photovoltaic cells create a flow of electric charge inside the solar panel due to the photoelectric effect.

In such cells a small electric voltage is generated when light strikes the junction between a metal and a semiconductor such as silicon or the junction between two different semiconductors. When this occurs a flow of electricity is generated and this electricity is harnessed and preserved as electrical energy. This flow travels in a circuit of wires that connect groups of solar panels called arrays. Solar panel output is expressed in units of watts w and represents the panel s theoretical power production under ideal sunlight and temperature conditions.

Solar panels use photovoltaic cells to produce electricity according to the united states department of energy.