How Solar Panels Work

The cause of global warming is the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In order to decrease the amount of greenhouse gases and control global warming, a search has begun to find alternative sources of electricity, instead of coal, oil and to a certain extent nuclear power plants which emit pollutants causing this catastrophe in the atmosphere.

The Sun, our nearest and most powerful source of renewable energy could help us produce electricity by tapping its energy. But how could it be done? Well, with the invention of photovoltaic cells, a lot of which comprise a solar panel, makes this dream of tapping the sun’s energy a reality. However, the three main drawbacks to the installation, use, and maintenance of these solar panels are - the amount of funding needed to set up a solar plant, rain, and snow. Some of the cost is offset by the savings from other energy sources, but not entirely until some of the costs of solar come down.

To understand how solar panels work one will have to brush up one’s knowledge of chemistry. Solar panels work on the principle of chemical reactions that are induced to form the electric current.

The main component of the panel is silicon (the element Si on the periodic table) or in purely non-scientific terminology, sand. In its natural form, silicon has four electrons but has the capacity for accommodating double that number, that is, eight electrons. One silicon atom can combine with another to form a strong bonding. In this case both atoms share each other’s potential capacity for eight electrons. The electrical current however can be produced only by one negative and one positive charge.

Here, you need some knowledge of chemistry! You add a negative charge to be introduced to the silicon atoms. Usually it is phosphorus, which has five electrons. Once combined with silicon, it lends a negative charge, that is, there is an extra electron that the silicon atom doesn’t need, which floats around. A positive charge is created using boron, which has three electrons. When these positive and negative charges react, electricity flows!

The most important part of the chemical reaction is when the photons from the rays of the sun hit the silicon-phosphorus atoms, knocking off the extra electron. That electron is attracted by the positive boron-silicon atoms to compensate for the structure of the boron which has only three electrons. As the process repeats, electricity is produced.

To produce an adequate quantity of electricity for daily consumption, several solar panels will be necessary. In addition it is important to install back up power source to store the electricity produced. This dual installation is likely to be quite expensive. When it is all said and done, it is worth the trouble and expense to shift to cleaner energy sources. In the long run, installation and maintenance can actually work out to be cost effective.

Don’t worry if you didn’t follow the chemistry. The point is that the solar is a much cleaner way of meeting our electricity needs and can help us save our environment and the world.