How do solar panels generate electricity?

There are two primary ways in which solar panels generate electricity: thermal conversion and photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic solar panels are much more common than those that utilize thermal conversion, so we’ll be focusing on PV solar panels. Sunlight strikes the solar cells of the solar panel.

How do solar panels work?

As we've explained, the solar cells that make up each solar panel do most of the heavy lifting. Through the photovoltaic effect, your solar panels produce a one-directional electrical current, called direct current (DC) electricity. Your home can't use DC electricity directly—it needs to be converted to alternating current (AC) electricity first.

How do solar photovoltaic cells work?

Solar photovoltaic cells are grouped in panels, and panels can be grouped into arrays of different sizes to power water pumps, power individual homes, or provide utility-scale electricity generation. Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (copyrighted)

What is solar energy & how does it work?

Solar energy is the radiant light and heat that the sun emits. For centuries, humans have harnessed this energy in various ways—whether it was for heating homes, drying crops, or even powering solar ovens. However, in recent decades, technological advances have allowed us to convert sunlight into electricity efficiently.

How do solar panels convert sunlight into electricity?

Converting sunlight into electricity requires use of certain materials. It’s a relatively simple chemical process, which we’ll talk about next. The process of making electricity begins when sunlight travels at the speed of light about 93 million miles from the sun and falls on the solar panel.

How is solar energy produced?

Solar energy is the light and heat that come from the sun. To understand how it's produced, let's start with the smallest form of solar energy: the photon. Photons are waves and particles created in the sun's core (the hottest part of the sun) through a process called nuclear fusion. The sun's core is a whopping 27 million degrees Fahrenheit.