Nova How Do Solar Panels Work

Go inside a photovoltaic cell and see how solar panels work to convert sunlight into electricity.

Nova how do solar panels work.

Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity. Nova scotia is ranked the 1 province and territory in the country for solar power. How do solar panels convert sunlight into electricity. This is a complete solar power guide for nova scotia including info on solar energy incentives solar power financing solar costs and utility policies.

This feature originally appeared on the site for the nova program saved by the sun. Solar panels actually comprise many smaller units. In actuality colder temperatures can help improve the performance of solar cells production pv performance. How do solar panels work.

With monocrystalline panels solar cells are made using silicon that is formed into long cylinders and then cut into wafers. This interactive activity from nova takes the learner inside a virtual photovoltaic cell to see how two different layers of silicon work to establish an electric field push electrons to metal. Solar panels work by letting photons released by the sun knock electrons free from atoms and thus generate a flow of electricity. It provides a close up look at each layer of the basic solar panel with particular emphasis on how electrons cross over the junction.

There are two main types and the difference between them comes down to how the silicon is manufactured to form the cells within each panel. When you really break them down a solar panel is nothing more than a big sheet of glass over a metal frame with a patch of wiring that runs to your home s main. Solar panels only need daylight to produce electricity therefore unless your solar system is blocked by shade from trees or snow it will continue to absorb. This animated tutorial shows how photovoltaic cells in solar panels convert sunlight into electrical current.

Solar panels are composed of many smaller photovoltaic cells linked together.