An Introduction to Solar Panels and How They Work

Solar power is an incredibly useful form of energy saving that can help us to do less damage to the planet and to use up fewer of our precious natural resources. Currently for most of our energy we burn fossil fuels – but these are non-renewable energy sources that will give out over time and that also result in by-products of carbon and water vapour which are very harmful to the environment and can trap heat. Solar power gets around this by using the most abundant energy source of all – the sun – which will be around for millions of years to come and which causes no damage to the environment and in fact is responsible for giving us life.

As such many people and businesses are installing solar panels on their roofs and on their vehicles to harness that power and to reduce their carbon footprint – but just how does this all work? And how can you turn sun light that we are used to using for tanning into energy that can power lights and cars?

Solar panels use light energy that comes from the sun in order to generate electricity through something called the 'photovoltaic effect'. This effect refers to the creation of voltage and electric current which occurs in any material which is exposed to light. This is related to the photoelectric effect but slightly different.

The photoelectric effect is what occurs when electrons get ejected from the surface of a material when they are exposed to radiation. Meanwhile however the photovoltaic effect is when the electrons are transferred between 'bands' of the material – for instance from valence to conduction bands inside the material. This then results in a build up of voltage between those two layers between two electrodes. This is the voltage that is then used to power your vehicles, your lighting and everything else.

When the photovoltaic which is responsible for solar power effect is used in solar panels the radiation used is light, and panels are thus made up of what are called 'solar cells'. There are various types of solar cells, such as a p-n junction solar cell and here the current is caused as the electrons are excited and moved in different directions in a built in electric field in the depletion region.

To achieve this effect most solar panels are constructed of wafer-based crustaline silicone, silicone or cadmium telluride for the solar cells. These are semi conductors that can make up up the superstrate.

These cells then need to be electrically connected to each other so that the current can flow. These connections can be made in series and the number of solar cells will dictate the maximum voltage output. Separate diodes can be used in order to avoid reverse currents.

At the same time though as solar panels are left outside there are other important aspects of the design to consider to prevent weathering. For instance it is important that the solar panels be protected against impact from hail, wind and snow, and it is important that they are kept dry and protected from moisture. Wafer-based silicone cells are particularly brittle and vulnerable.

Energy savings are good for the environment and great for your wallet and one of the best ways to save energy is with solar power.