How Do Solar Panel Work?

Silicon (photovoltaic) solar panels

A solar panel is a device that is able to absorb sun rays and convert it into electrical energy precisely DC.  The photovoltaic panel comprised of silicon crystals, which reacts with sun ray and under this process, converts the sun rays into electricity. They supply the electricity for charging the batteries and for use by the appliances either directly or through an inverter. Silicon solar panels generate electricity without noise or emissions, and are comprised almost entirely of recyclable materials (like silicon, silver, and aluminum). 

In addition, solar (photovoltaic) panels do not require water for operation, critically important for sustainable communities around the world. They are elegant devices that will sit on your rooftop and turn your sunlight directly into electricity for decades without any noise or emissions. So why nobody owns the sun, we have the right to use it in such a way it would be beneficial to us.

Solar Inverter
Most homes today use (AC) power while solar panels generate (DC) power. So the work of the solar inverter is to convert the direct current (DC) electricity that is generated from a photovoltaic panel into an alternating current (AC) that can be used by in-home appliances and the community electricity grid. Because all photovoltaic panels produce electricity in DC, an inverter is required for all solar power systems to make the electricity usable in home settings. 

Many people fall into the trap of underestimating the system's needs for a solar inverter and purchase one that handles a smaller capacity than necessary in an attempt to save money. This is a mistake that can be costly in the long run. A better way to cut costs is to purchase an inverter with much more capacity than you plan to initially install and add more panels to boost production later on down the line. This leaves your system with room to grow. So it’s important to have into consideration the load of the appliances you have at home before purchasing an inverter.

Solar Batteries

Batteries accumulate excess energy created by your solar panels and store it to be used at night or when there is no other energy input. Ideally, a battery bank should be sized to be able to store power for 5 days of autonomy during cloudy weather. If the battery bank is smaller than 3 day capacity, it is going to cycle deeply on a regular basis and the battery will have a shorter life. For solar and renewable energy, deep cycle batteries are recommended because they are capable of repeated charging cycles.

Solar Chargers or Controllers
Since the brighter the sunlight, the more voltage the solar cells produce, the excessive voltage could damage the batteries. A charge controller is used to maintain the proper charging voltage on the batteries. As the input voltage from the solar rays rises, the charge controller regulates the charge to the batteries preventing any overcharging. The Charge Controller is installed between the Solar Panel array and the Batteries where it automatically maintains the charge on the batteries.

Wiring
The wiring connection is done to allow electricity move from the solar panels to the inverter through the solar controller and then safely to the house.