Info On How Solar Panels Work

If there are trees near your home that create excessive shade on your roof rooftop panels may not be the most ideal option.

Info on how solar panels work.

We all want to live self sustainably or at least reduce the. Obviously most homes are going to need more than 1 solar panel. Photo voltaic cells use sunlight as a source of energy and generate direct current electricity a collection of pv modules is called a pv panel and a system of panels is an array. A module is a group of cells connected electrically and packaged into a frame more commonly known as a solar panel which can then be grouped into larger solar.

A pv module is an assembly of photo voltaic cells mounted in a framework for installation. First sunlight in the form of photons hit the solar panels on your roof or ground mount. The range of technologies including small scale distributed solar mostly rooftop systems and large scale pv systems come with different advantages for home owners businesses and utilities. The solar cells that you see on calculators and satellites are also called photovoltaic pv cells which as the name implies photo meaning light and voltaic meaning electricity convert sunlight directly into electricity.

That s a lot of technical information about how solar panels work so let s look at how a solar panel array would work on your home. When a group of modules are connected together in a solar panel installation they become what s known as a solar array. Solar power had a slow start until 2012 when it started to capture a more significant share of the clean energy net generation it rose to its highest ever level to date in 2018 with 66 6 billion kilowatt hours and there is no end in sight with a staggering 49 9 percent annual growth in the united states between 2013 and 2018. The size shape and slope of your roof are also important factors to consider.

Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. The term solar panel is used colloquially for a photo voltaic pv module. The electricity generated by rooftop solar panels first supplies on site needs with the grid supplying additional electricity as needed. Solar panels are built to work in all climates but in some cases rooftops may not be suitable for solar systems due to age or tree cover.

A standard solar panel also known as a solar module consists of a layer of silicon cells a metal frame a glass casing and various wiring to allow current to flow from the silicon cells silicon atomic 14 on the periodic table is a nonmetal with conductive properties that allow it to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity. Connecting the solar panels together to work in a solar array. The panels convert the energy from freed electrons to dc current which then flows to an inverter and is converted from.