The Basics About Solar Power Panels

Solar power panels go by a range of different names. Some other names for solar power panels include:

• photovoltaic panels
• PV panels
• solar panels
• solar batteries
• photovoltaic modules
• photovoltaic arrays

But whatever you call them, solar power panels do the amazing job of turning the energy of the sun into electricity for domestic – or other – use.  The term “solar power panels” is also used to describe solar water heater systems, which look like panels, but in this article, the term will be used to describe panels that transform solar power into electricity.

Usually, a solar power panel consists of an array of photovoltaic cells.  These cells are made either from a crystalline form of silicone or from cadmium telluride – with silicone being the more environmentally friendly option.  Silicone is a semiconductor, which is why it is used in computers. These photovoltaic cells are covered by a layer of glass on top that protects the cells while allowing the sunlight through to activate them.  On the bottom of the solar panels, you will find the wiring and circuitry that takes the charge generated to where you need it.

Solar panels used in a domestic situtation. As You can see, you need a lot of them.

How Solar Power Panels Work

So how do solar power panels actually work?  If silicone is a semiconductor and is used in solar power panels, how come people who have silicone implants don’t become sources of energy (wouldn’t that make a great cartoon?).  Without boring you and confusing you with a lot of quantum physics (which is what is involved in solar power), basically, solar power panels work like this:

• Photons (subatomic particles of light) in sunlight hit semiconductors like silicone.
• A few electrons get knocked off the atoms in the semiconductor.  This creates a current of electricity in the silicone.
• The semiconductor is wired up so it can get enough direct current (DC) in a usable form.  You need a lot of solar cells to do this!

Installing Solar Panels

If you want to install solar power panels on your home for domestic electricity, the first thing you need to make sure of is that you have enough of them!  To meet a household’s electricity needs – even if you use energy other than electricity to heat the water and to cook (e.g. gas, wood burners, solar water heaters) – you will need quite a significant area of solar power panels.

Other things to keep in mind when installing solar power panels include:

• Your latitude: this will determine the angle that the panels are tilted at.  The midday sun should fall directly onto the panel.
• Orientation: in the southern hemisphere, solar power panels should face due north.
• Infrastructure: make sure your solar power panels aren’t shaded during the day.
• Charge storage:  use a deep cycle battery to store the charge generated so you can still switch on the computer at night or on cloudy days.
• Make sure you can get to the solar power panels to clean them – birds can perch on them and leave droppings everywhere.