How do Solar Systems Produce Energy?

If you take some time to watch YouTube videos, do a search for living in a van and see what appears. There are quite a few videos that show van dwellers who are able to call a van or RV their permanent home thanks to solar panels on their roofs. It’s a pretty amazing thing to think they can be in a van reading articles on their computer screen while running a blender to make a smoothie.

Take a look around the neighborhood where you live. Be on the lookout for solar panels. You’ll see more and more of them as time goes by.

Solar power from the sun can be converted into energy to power things, and that’s a modern day marvel, isn’t it?

Solar panels receive light from the sun. Not to get too technical, but the sun’s rays are converted into electricity by exciting electrons in specially-designed silicon cells that utilize the photons of light coming from the sun.

Did you know solar panels contain “photovoltaic” cells? This is a big, fancy word that means electricity from light. Underneath glass, these cells have a positive and negative film of silicon. When light hits them, electrons get knocked off the silicon. Negatively-charged free electrons end up on one side of the cell creating electric voltage. Thus, electricity is collected and channeled to run people’s appliances, computers, and more in their vehicles, homes or wherever else they need it. When more and more solar panels are linked together, even more electricity can be generated.

The electricity ends up at an electrical box which contains fuses as well as connections delivering power to an item called the inverter. DC (direct current) gets converted into AC (alternating current) thanks to the inverter. The AC gets connected to a circuit breaker in the electrical panel. Power goes to any electrical loads currently in operation.

GR Solar Solutions can install solar panels on or near your home. Please call 915-581-0461 to discuss your needs.

Source Used:  http://www.nwwindandsolar.com/solar-power-in-seattle-and-the-northwest/how-do-solar-systems-produce-energy/