Physics Behind Solar Panels

Up on the roof of the institute of physics building is a small solar farm of solar panels.

Physics behind solar panels.

Solar panels are made up of solar cells that are frequently made of two layers of silicon arranged around conductive material. Senate has just voted that global climate change is real and not a hoax. People say that solar power is the future of renewable energy but how do solar panels work anyway. The physics behind this process is actually quite simple and not as complicated as it may seem.

Join us as we explore the world of semiconductors using c. Solar panels receive sunlight during the day which they convert to energy through the photovoltaic effect. These photovoltaic cells electrically connected to each other through a series of strong bonds utilize the photoelectric effect to convert energy from the sun into usable electricity. When photons strike a solar cell the vast majority are either reflected or absorbed some really high energy photons will blow.

In simple terms solar panels contain silicon cells as the active material which when exposed to sunlight create free electrons which flow through an electrical circuit. Sunlight is composed of photons which can be thought of as packets of energy the amount of energy in a photon being proportional to the frequency of its light. An n type silicon layer and a p type silicon layer. They are aligned to be roughly south facing and tilted to maximise the amount of sunlight they collect.

The solar panel is made up of a collection of solar cells. Each solar cell is made up of two different layers of silicon that are stuck together. When sunlight shines on solar cells light particles known as photons hits an electron which will cause the electron to bump out from the silicon sheet of solar cells. Solar cell physics the photovoltaic effect applied.

Solar panels actually comprise many smaller units. These cells are made of semi conductive materials most often silicon a material that can conduct electricity while maintaining the electrical imbalance needed to create an electric field. It s 2015 and the u s. They cover about half of the roof where they are in full sunlight in order to generate electricity which contributes to the electricity used in the building.

Two thousand and fifteen. Read our complete explanation on how solar panels work here. In n type silicon layer electrons are the majority carriers and holes are the minority carriers. Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity.