How solar panels work

Leann Arnold

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Robert T Design offers professional BCIN and architectural drafting services in Toronto, the GTA and surrounding areas. To learn more, visit their website http://www.roberttdesign.com/.

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• Publié par: roberttdesign
• Publié le: 24 avril 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 14

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The Power Behind Solar Panels: Why the Work as they Do 

Introduction

 Solar panels are considered one of humanity's best hopes for creating a feasible renewable power scheme.

 Every year, the technology is becoming more prevalent and more advanced.

 Scientists are hard at work developing more efficient cells and more reliable ways to utilize solar energy.

Introduction

 However, there is a bit of a knowledge gap, currently. There are millions of people familiar with the premise of solar power, but few people actually know the intricacies of the science.

 For such an influential and increasingly popular technology, it seems odd that most don't understand how these panels work.

Introduction

 There is going to be an increasing demand for understanding as we advance. Here is a bit of background on how solar panels work and why they hold such promise.

Commonalities and Differences of the Major Solar Cells

 Solar panels are merely an accumulation of the different kinds of solar cells. There are actually a number of different types of cells.

 The three most popular are thermal, photovoltaic, and photoelectrolytic cells.

 these utilize solar energy differently. However, one of theEach of simplest commonalities that can be discerned between all forms of solar power is their reliance on the energy produced by the sun.

Commonalities and Differences of the Major Solar Cells

 The sun is the reason why we call it "solar" power. It's absolutely crucial for the system to work.

 The sun releases energy which the cells collect. In the thermal cell, it traps the radiant heat energy and uses it to power turbines.

 Photovoltaic and photoelectrolytic are dependent upon the energy particle of light itself: the photon. The photon is a particle with interesting physical characteristics.

Commonalities and Differences of the Major Solar Cells

 Both cells take this particle, created from the sun's nuclear furnace, and convert it directly into power.

 Photoelectrolytic takes this and uses the energy to split hydrogen and oxygen in water particles. From there, the gasses can be used to create energy.

 The final method is the most commonly utilized on solar farms today. It relies on a natural phenomenon called the photovoltaic effect.

The Photovoltaic Effect

 The photovoltaic effect was first observed in 1839 by Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel. Becquerel couldn't have possibly imagined how we would take his discovery and use it to power so much of our modern world.

 The effect occurs when the photon of light creates electrical power..

The Photovoltaic Effect

 When sunlight hits certain materials, the energy excites the electrons in the valence shell of the metal.

 Once excited sufficiently, these electrons are able to jump into a conduction band, becoming free.

 The valence band then becomes positively charged forcing the photons to jump back, completing the circuit. This entire process creates voltage and is responsible for creating the electrical current in the cell

New Theories on Solar Cells

 There are novel ways at looking at solar power however that may just be how our panels work in the future.

 Recently, scientists discovered that the photon's magnetic properties were astronomically stronger than previously calculated.

New Theories on Solar Cells

 As such, there are plans for cells that utilize the power of these magnetic portions of the electromagnetic energy emitted from the sun.

 Regardless of the eventual source, solar powerwill continue to evolve in tandem with our society.