Today, you might see a lot of shiny black squares on the top traffic lights, hazard signs, and even security cameras. It is even more common to see these squares on the roofs of people’s houses. If you have ever wondered what they are, they are solar panels. They are a way to get electricity to items that cannot easily be connected to the municipal power supply. They are also a way for homeowners to save on their electric bills by using less municipal power. Some people say they are the wave of the future and one of the ways that mankind will be able to wean itself away from its dangerous dependency on the every diminishing supply of oil and other fossil fuels. Since these items are destined to become more important in our future it worth the time to figure out how does a solar panel work.
So How Do Solar Panels Work?
A solar panel consists of large sheets of charged silicon that are mounted on a sunny spot. The rays of the sun are able to strike the silicon in such a way that it will produce electricity that can be used immediately, sold to a municipal power company, or stored in batteries for later use.
We all know that the sun is a very powerful power source; the energy of the sun travels millions of miles as light and heat to not only illuminate the Earth, but also to keep us all comfortable and not freezing to death.
Even in the dead of winter, the sun is still working to keep life as we know it going. Solar panels are a way to harness part of the sun’s power. In this case it is harness the photons. Photons are particles that are emitted by the sun. When a photon strikes a surface, it acts as kind of molecular hammer.
It can change the chemical composition of a molecule by adding or subtracting electrons in the outer ring. That is why the sun’s rays will bleach your clothing or heat up the inside of your car. It is also why solar panels work. So let’s go over a little more deep on how solar panels work.
Within a solar panel are two layers of silicon cells. The upper layer is negative, that means that it has too many electrons. The lower layer is positive and therefore has too few electrons.
Since all molecules would like to be neutral, it is very easy to get electrons to jump from one panel to the other. All it takes are photons striking the upper, negative panel and sending the electrons shooting down. Because this process keeps happening over and over, there is soon a buildup of electrons in the lower panel. The electrons are then drawn to copper electrical wiring that is soldered to the panels. The electrons move until they are stored in a battery or used to power an appliance. They will continue to move all day on a sunny day. How does a solar panel work, is now a technology mystery that has been solved, and solar energy is also the future of society and all of mankind.
