How Do Solar Panels Work?
Solar panels work by converting sunlight directly into electricity through what is called photovoltaics. Photovoltaics occurs when photons from sunlight strike a material that can exhibit the “photoelectric effect,” which turns the absorption of photons into the release of electrons. As long as there is a circuit to travel through, these freed electrons move in a direct electrical current, known as DC electricity.
A solar panel, or photovoltaic module, is a series of small cells made of photoelectric material (often crystalline silicon) and wired together into one unit.
A solar array is a series of solar panels wired together.
