What is it that makes these alternate energy sources work?

Solar panels have long been hailed as a viable alternative energy source, and they help keep spacecraft fueled. How do solar panels, on the other hand, function?

To put it another way, a rooftop solar panel generates electricity by enabling photons, or light particles, to knock electrons loose from atoms. Photovoltaic cells, which make up solar panels, are made up of numerous smaller components. (The term “photovoltaic” refers to the conversion of sunlight into electricity.) A solar panel is made up of several cells joined together.

Each photovoltaic cell is essentially a sandwich made up of two semi-conducting material slices, commonly silicon, the same thing used in microelectronics.

Role of Photovoltaic Cells in Solar Panels

Photovoltaic cells require an electric field to function. A magnetic field is created when opposed poles are separated, while an electric field is created when opposite charges are separated. 

They do this by seeding phosphorous into the top layer of silicon, which provides additional negative-charged electrons to that layer. All of this adds up to an electric field at the silicon layer’s connection. The electric field will then drive that electron out of the silicon junction when a photon of sunlight knocks an electron loose.

These electrons are converted into useful electricity by a few additional components of the cell. 

Researchers recently developed ultrathin, flexible solar cells that are only 1.3 microns thick (about 1/100th the diameter of a human hair) and 20 times lighter than a sheet of office paper. The cells are so small that they can fit on top of a soap bubble, but they produce energy with nearly the same efficiency as glass-based solar cells. Solar cells that are lighter and more flexible, like these, might be used in architecture, aerospace, and perhaps wearable electronics.

Other forms of solar power technologies, such as solar thermal and concentrated solar power, work in a different way than photovoltaic solar panels, although they also use the sun’s energy to generate electricity or heat water or air.

Are You a Good Candidate for Solar Panels?

Now that we understand what rooftop solar panel is composed of, how they are created, and the science behind them, we must decide whether solar panel installation is good for you.

We know how solar panels are made and that they rely on sunshine to generate electricity. As a result, the first and most important need for installing solar panels is to have a roof or a large enough space at the chosen position to receive direct sunshine for many hours each day. Installing a solar panel in a garden with enormous trees and plants that shield the panel from the sun is pointless.

The second factor to examine is the amount of energy used in your home. Your overall energy usage is influenced by the number of people in your household, the equipment you use, and how frequently you use them. A family of five with air conditioning, for example, is likely to use far more energy than a family of three without air conditioning.