How Do Solar Panels Work?

Understanding the specifics of how a solar panel works is more difficult than understanding what it does. We are all aware that our solar panels produce electricity, but how does sunshine become energy that can be used to activate our air conditioning? Don’t worry if you’re unclear about how solar panels work. We’re here to explain the specifics of how electricity travels from the sun to your outlet. Let’s start now!

How are solar cells produced?

You must first comprehend the manufacturing process of solar panels to comprehend solar energy. Photovoltaic (PV) cells, which make up solar panels, convert light into electrical energy. This function is described by the term “photovoltaic,” which means to generate a voltage when subjected to radiant radiation, such as light.

Two thin sheets of silicon-based semiconducting material make up each PV cell. Impurities are “doped” into these silicon sheets to increase their conductivity and enable charge maintenance. The bottom layer is doped with phosphorus to create a negative charge, while the top layer is doped with boron to create a positive charge (the P layer) (the N layer). Since these opposing charges provide an electric field where electrons can flow, this operates similarly to how a magnet would.

The P-N junction produces an electric field, in which electrons are moving continuously. The charges will go from the top P layer to the bottom N layer due to their nature. Things begin to alter when sunlight strikes a panel. As a result of the sunlight’s energy knocking electrons out of their usual orbit and the presence of this new opposite charge, electrons are drawn to alter their flow such that it begins at the bottom of the N layer and ends at the top of the P layer. Although the P-N junction’s electric field precludes this, an external circuit is set up to permit this movement, which in turn generates electricity.