How Do Solar Panel Fields Work

First sunlight in the form of photons hit the solar panels on your roof or ground mount.

How do solar panel fields work.

A solar farm sometimes referred to as a photovoltaic power station is typically a large decentralized solar array supplying electricity to the power grid. Since this process happens at such a small scale it is invisible for humans. The majority of these massive arrays are owned by utilities and are merely another asset for the utility to supply power to properties in their coverage area. This electricity is then used to power your home.

Photovoltaic cells absorb the sun s energy and convert it to dc electricity the solar inverter converts dc electricity from your solar modules to ac electricity which is used by most home. Solar panels work by converting sunlight into electricity at the atomic scale. The panels convert the energy from freed electrons to dc current which then flows to an inverter and is converted from dc electricity to ac electricity. Here are the main steps for how solar panels work for your home.

This time lapse animation demonstrates the cycle which thermal solar fields follow on any given day of adequate sunlight exposure. Compared with other renewable energy systems panels are characterized by their lack of movement. Since those contracts usually cover a 25 year period you essentially agree to purchase your energy in advance for a pre negotiated price. This fully automated process shows how the panels are in a docked.

Electricity flows through your home. But instead of paying for the system you pay a monthly fee for the energy it produces. Solar panels actually comprise many smaller units. Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity.

The cells are networked into a panel each gathering a small amount of energy from sunlight. A solar panel is nothing more than a large group of solar cells made of silicon. When solar cells are struck by light they produce a flow of electrons or electric current. First your solar panels collect particles of light called photons which knock electrons free from their atom hosts.

There are essentially five steps in the process of solar energy production beginning when sunlight hits your panels and culminating with feeding excess energy back to the grid. What to watch out for. The solar panels on your roof are owned by the ppa provider not you.