Learn All You Need to Know About Solar Panels

Residential customers can seize the subscription opportunity of solar community projects to get plenty of benefits of solar power without installing solar panels on their property.

 

How Do Solar Panels Function?

In this section, you’ll get to know the working principle of solar panels.

The solar panel is also called a solar module. It comprises a layer of silicon cells, a glass casing unit, a metal frame, and some wire connections to transfer the electric charges from the silicon. Silicon is a naturally occurring element and has atomic number 14 on the periodic table. 

Also, it’s non-metal with conductive properties that allow silicon to absorb the sun’s rays and transform them into electricity. When sunlight hits a silicon cell, the rays stimulate the electrons to move and then start the flow of electric current. This phenomenon is called the photovoltaic effect, and it depicts the general working of solar panel tech. 

The theory behind the production of electricity with solar energy is based on the photovoltaic effect. Furthermore, French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered this effect in 1893 and considered this phenomenon the property of semiconductors. Thus, when sunlight falls on the semiconductor, it generates electricity. 

 

The photovoltaic process involves three broad steps:

  • First, the silicon photovoltaic solar cell absorbs radiations emitted by the sun.
  • When the sunlight hits the silicon cell, electrons start moving and generate the flow of current. 
  • Wires record and store this direct current (DC) to a solar inverter to be transformed into alternating current (AC).

Solar Energy for Home: What You Need to Know About Solar Panels?

Background 

Bell Labs developed the first silicon photovoltaic cell in 1954. However, solar energy was previously used to get usable energy through different methods. As a result, after 1954, solar power only became a thriving source of electricity to power devices over an extended period. 

The first cell transformed solar rays into the electric current at an efficiency of 4%. For reference, today, many other solar panels convert sun radiations into solar power at more than 20% efficiency.

Furthermore, now solar power has a greater capacity to power 11million households to 126 million. Even though getting solar energy was challenging before and a slow process at first. A significant number of federal incentives and authorities took part in reducing the price of solar panels. Thus, now solar panels are widely adopted.