Understanding how solar energy works is the first step to harnessing it in your home. It’s also one of the most important.
If you’re considering adding solar panels to your home, this blog post will serve as a helpful introduction to solar energy and how solar panels work.
So how exactly do solar panels produce electricity? It’s fairly simple, but it helps to understand the parts of a solar panel and the photovoltaic effect first.
A solar panel is a sheet of silicon with a grid of tiny solar cells. Each solar cell is made of a special type of semiconductor called a photovoltaic material. This photovoltaic material is what allows light to “turn into electricity.” Micro-porosity in a silicon solar cell causes the photovoltaic effect, which transforms light into electricity.
Photovoltaic effect explained
One of the most important concepts to understand when it comes to solar energy is the photovoltaic effect.
The photovoltaic effect is why solar cells can produce electricity from light. Photovoltaic materials are semiconductors, and as such, they allow electrons to flow when an electric current is applied to them. However, there are limits to how much current a semiconductor can safely carry.
The solar cell industry has solved this problem by creating photovoltaic cells using polycrystalline silicon.
When the sunlight hits a polycrystalline silicon cell, the electrons in the material flow through the photovoltaic effect, creating electricity.
Components of a solar panel
As you might have guessed from what we’ve said so far, the critical component of a solar panel is the solar cell grid.
The other components are mainly there to support the grid. And the grid inside the solar cell is typically made of polycrystalline silicon.
That grid is then covered with a layer of silicon that acts as a passive device or “backbone” for the solar cell. This silicon layer is then wrapped in a layer of photovoltaic material designed to harvest as much sunlight as possible.
The silicon used as the “backbone” of a solar cell is typically made of monocrystalline silicon, which is more expensive than polycrystalline silicon.
How solar panels generate electricity
A solar panel can only capture as much sunlight as the panel’s entire surface is covered. And, as you might have guessed already, this is where the solar cell grid comes into play.
When a solar panel is installed on your roof, it’s angled to face the sun. The angle of the panel determines the amount of sunlight it captures. The more sunlight it captures with its angle, the more electricity the panel can generate.
Moreover, a solar panel is also angled to face the sun during peak hours (when the sun is at its highest point in the sky) to maximise its ability to generate electricity.
Steps for generating solar electricity in your home
To begin, you’ll need to get solar panels.
After you get your solar panels, it’s time for installation. It’s best to talk to a local solar installer to get this settled for you.
Once they install the solar panels, you’ll need an inverter. An inverter is a piece of equipment that converts the solar’s direct current (DC) energy into alternating (AC) energy that your home can use.
Make sure to get your electricity bills after everything is installed and working.
This can be done through various sources, including the utilities you’re connected to and the government program mentioned before.
Conclusion
Solar energy has come a long way in the past decade and is now an increasingly viable option for those interested in reducing their carbon footprint and energy costs.
Now that you understand how solar panels work and what goes into generating solar electricity in your home, it’s time to take action and start generating solar energy in your home. And, with the right equipment, you can do this relatively inexpensively.