Everyone knows that solar panel absorbs sunlight and generates usable electricity but only few will wonder that how do they do it?
We have the answer for those who wonders about it and in this article we will talk about ” How Do Solar Panels Work? ” There are two main types of solar energy technologies photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar thermal power (CSP). The solar panels are made from photovoltaic (PV) which are made of sandwiched layers of silicon plus and other elements like boron, gallium or phosphorus.
If you are a person who already knows about the working process of a solar system you might be interested in solar panel price in Pakistan or Electricity price you can explore our website for different useful information about this technology.
CORE INSIGHTS
- You can’t use electricity directly generated by solar panel.
- An inverter is necessary to convert the DC (direct current) into AC (alternative current).
- 95% of solar cells are made from the element silicon.
Where Does Solar Energy Come From?
The light of sun and heat causes solar energy which starts with small particles known as photons. The are only made in the hottest area of sun which we call sun’s core that has 27 million degrees Fahrenheit.
When helium is created by the fusion of hydrogen atoms which only can happen in this extreme temperature this will then release a huge amount of energy in the form of photons. In every second 500 million hydrogen atoms are converted to helium resulting in photons that generates the solar energy on our planet.
How Do Solar Panels Work? (Photovoltaic Effect)
When large number of solar cells are gathered it is called photovoltaic modules that is used to absorb the light (photons) the particle we discussed above in (Where Does Solar Energy Come From?) from the sun go make electricity this process is known has Photovoltaic effect.
There are two types of silicon solar cells the first one is monocrystalline and the second one is polycrystalline. These are included in the types of solar panels like thin-films and PERC. The monocrystalline cells include single silicon crystal and the efficiency of this types is higher than the second one because the polycrystalline only have fragment of silicon crystal which reduces the efficiency along with the cost of these types of solar panels.
- Lower Electricity Bills
- Reduces Air Pollution
- Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Clean Source of Energy
- Major Initial Cost
- Efficiency reduces when sunlight is low
- Need additional necessary components
- Requires cleaning
Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power Basics
Concentrated solar power (CSP) is used for large scale power generation. It is a system which uses mirrors to gather the large amount of sunlight into a focused area and when that light is gathered it is converted to heat by using Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF).
This is used by very large power plants because they are in need of 24/7 electricity so when the CSP is coupled with thermal energy storage (TES) this helps them to get constant power to have electricity for 24 hours a day.
Important Componenets for Complete Solar Power System
The goal was to keep the information about how do solar panels work very simple that is why we will end our discussion with other important components you will need to purchase for a complete solar power system.
There are three components that are must to purchase with solar panels mention below:
- Inverters: Without the inverter you can’t use the electricity from solar panels because it creates DC (Direct Current) which should be conveted to AC (Alternative Current) to make it usable for homes
- Batteries: The electricity produced by plate should be stored in batteries which you can use later when needed like in nighttime.
- Racking system: If you are planning to install your system on rooftop then you need to purchased racking system to adjust all the plates on the roof this will make the panels stable when the weather is not so good.
Also make sure to check how many solar panels do you need this will help you set your budget and having the idea about is not so bad keep yourself up-to-date with the help of our website.
