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How does solar technology convert sunlight to electricity?

A lot of the trepidation behind investing in solar energy comes from the lack of knowledge. When we understand the clear science behind it, the advantages of solar energy become more obvious.

A lot of the trepidation behind investing in solar energy comes from the lack of knowledge. When we understand the clear science behind it, the advantages of solar energy become more obvious.

Generally, a solar installation on any part of your property consists of the following components:

  1. Photovoltaic cell—This kind of cell is capable of harnessing solar energy from direct sunlight, which is why it’s name is what it is. The amount of solar energy captured by the cell is typically measured in terms of watts of power. For instance, a small-sized 1,000 square feet home will typically need at least 10 kilowatts of power.
  2. Solar panel—This is comprised of clusters of connected photovoltaic cells based on the power you wish to generate. Again, a typical American home of 1,000 sq. ft. may need up to 40 panels to produce the required power. Larger homes can have as many as 72-96 clustered photovoltaic cells within their panel.
  3. Photons and electrons—This is actually sandwiched in each photovoltaic cell of the panel, as follows:
    • Top semiconductor layer that acts as a carrier of the electricity produced.Phosphorous-based layer to produce positive vibrations from photons.Boron-based layer to produce negative vibrations from electrons.Bottom semiconductor layer that acts as a carrier of the electricity produced.With this:
    • Photovoltaic cells capture direct sunlight as solar energy in photons. This incidentally triggers the electrons in the lower layer.
    • The friction between the photons and electrons produces electric energy from the harnessed solar energy.
    • The semiconductor layers then become carriers of this electric energy, and send it to an electric sandbox within the panel for later use.
  4. Inverter—the electric energy produced by a solar panel is in the form of direct current (also called DC), more commonly used in generators and UPS systems. So, we need a mechanism to convert this to alternating current (AC) used within homes and commercial buildings. The inverter takes care of this job.
  5. Battery—The solar installation (like solar panels) is most effective in producing electric energy during the day, when there is direct access to sunlight. However, you may also want to store some of this energy for use during the night. This is where a battery comes in. If your solar installation is “off the grid”—meaning that it is your only source of electric energy, you will need a larger battery to store sufficient energy to power both days and nights. There is also the option of staying “on the grid”, where you are able to access electric current from conventional utility companies.
  6. Net meter—Despite installing solar panels, if you find no or low impact on their utility bills, do not panic. You may be missing net meter—a critical component that allows you to choose the source of energy during day and night. Ideally, you would like to use electricity from the grid during the day, when the rates tend to be lower. You would also like to switch to your own harnessed solar energy during the night, when utility companies charge higher rates. A net meter enables you to switch on and off the grid.On top of this, if you have a large solar panel with a big battery, chances are you produce more electric energy than you use. This is a great opportunity to make money of your solar installation, as the net meter can also feed excess/unused energy back into the grid. The system tracks this energy, allowing you to bill your utility company on a regular basis, for the energy you have sold, rather than the other way around!

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