Solar Panel Installers

How Do Solar Panels Work?

Solar panels or photovoltaic panels are devices that convert light from the sun directly into electrical energy. Solar panels comprises of several solar cells that are interconnected with both series and shunt (parallel) configuration. The sun can provides enough energy for all human needs if only it could be well harnessed. Solar power is one of the alternative energy sources that has seen a lot of development in the past two decades.

The principle of operation of solar cells can be explained using Einstein's photoelectric effect theory. But first, it is good to know the physical structure. A solar cell is a semiconductor device that is made up of two or more differently doped layers that form junctions. These junctions respond to various wavelengths of light. Sunlight, or any other light is made up of tiny packets of energy know as photons. The sun produces about 1000 watts per square meter.

When a photon hits the surface of a solar panel, electrons are stripped off and becomes free. This effect causes an electric field to form at the junction which attracts electrons from one junction (n-type side) to the other (p-type side) through an external circuit. The flow of these electrons from the n-type side to the p-type side creates an electric current.

The voltage generated by each solar cell is usually very small and cannot have a practical use. To overcome this, several solar cells are connected together to produce a useful amount of energy. One solar cell can generate a current of about 0.2A at 1.2V giving an output power of 0.24W. A connection of solar cells forms a solar panel. The panels can further be connected to form modules.

What Are the Benefits of Solar Panels?

There are many benefits to solar electricity in your home or workplace. Some of them include:

• Cutting down on your electricity bills. Sunlight does come free, so after you have paid for the installation, electricity costs are reduced right away.
• You get paid for the electricity you produce. You are paid by the UK government's Feed-in Tariffs for any electricity you make, even if you are using it.
• You can sell electricity back to the grid. If your system is producing more electricity than you need, you can sell any surplus right back to the grid.
• Reduce your carbon impact. Because domestic and commericial solar is a renewable green energy and does not disperse harmful carbon dioxide or other chemicals, then a typical home solar PV structure could save over one tonne of carbon dioxide per year. That is more than 30 tonnes over its lifetime!

Those are just a few of the amazing benefits of home solar panels . Now you may be thinking, that sounds wonderful, but is it going to cost me a lot of money just having it installed and maintaining it. Well, a typical 4kWp system in England can produce around 3,800 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, which equals about a typical home's electricity needs. The same system in Scotland can produce about 3,200 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, which is more than three quarters of a typical home's electrical needs. That saves more than a tonne and a half of carbon dioxide each year. You can find a great chart online showing you all the averages in prices based on location and sizes as well as the savings on electricity and carbon dioxide. If you know your systems size, you can even receive a custom made estimate of FIT payments for your system using the calculator for Solar Energy.

In Northern Ireland, a 4kWp system can produce maybe 3,400 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, equaling a typical home's needs. This saves over a tonnes and a half of carbon dioxide each year.