How Do Solar Panel System Work

Arrays of a photovoltaic system supply solar electricity to electrical equipment.

How do solar panel system work. The more panels you deploy the more energy you generate. Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. 1 over two to three decades average electric bill savings can amount to thousands of dollars. How do solar panels work.

The inverter runs to a smart meter that records the amount of energy you use and also the excess solar energy that is sent back to the utility. Solar panels are composed of many smaller photovoltaic cells linked together. The most common application of solar energy collection outside agriculture i. More panels mean more energy can be generated.

The other reason is that your solar panel system is connected to the grid via a solar inverter or grid tied solar. When subject to sunlight photovoltaic cells create a flow of electric charge inside the solar panel due to the photoelectric effect. Solar panels contain cells of semiconductive material usually silicon usually encased in a metallic frame and tempered glass. Solar panels actually comprise many smaller units.

Those cells do the daily work of converting the sun s photons into electricity. A solar provider handles the installation and then leases the equipment to you at a fixed monthly amount or sells you the electricity the panels generate at a set price per kilowatt hour. When you really break them down a solar panel is nothing more than a big sheet of glass over a metal frame with a patch of wiring that runs to your home s main. Ac energy then flows through the home s electrical panel and is distributed accordingly.

A collection of pv modules is called a pv panel and a system of panels is an array. Solar panels work by absorbing sunlight with photovoltaic cells generating direct current dc energy and then converting it to usable alternating current ac energy with the help of inverter technology. In 1839 french scientist edmond becquerel discovered that certain materials would give off sparks of electricity when struck with sunlight. A pv module is an assembly of photo voltaic cells mounted in a framework for installation.

It s an idea that has been around for well over a century. Every time photons hit the silicon they transfer energy to loose silicon electrons. Solar cells are made of silicon. Solar photovoltaic pv panels are based on a high tech but remarkably simple technology that converts sunlight directly to electricity.

3 solar leases typically last 20 to 25 years. So if the grid shuts down so will your solar panels. Solar panels work by letting photons released by the sun knock electrons free from atoms and thus generate a flow of electricity.