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How does a solar panel work?
Quick answer
A solar panel works using the photovoltaic effect: when sunlight hits its silicon cells, it knocks electrons loose, and a built-in electric field pushes those electrons into a current. Wire many cells together and that flow becomes usable electricity. Each cell is silicon 'doped' into two layers that meet at a junction with a built-in electric field.
Step by step
- Each cell is silicon 'doped' into two layers that meet at a junction with a built-in electric field.
- Photons of sunlight knock electrons free from the silicon atoms.
- The junction's field forces the freed electrons to flow one way, creating direct current (DC).
- An inverter converts that DC into the alternating current (AC) that homes and the grid use.
- More light and larger panel area mean more current; efficiency is typically 18–22%.
People also ask
Do solar panels work on cloudy days?
Yes, but less. They still capture diffuse light, producing perhaps 10–25% of their sunny-day output depending on cloud thickness.
What is the photovoltaic effect?
It's the process where light frees electrons in a material and a built-in electric field drives them into a current — the core of how solar cells make electricity.
Where does the electricity come from at night?
Panels make none at night, so a home draws from the grid or from a battery charged during the day.
What does an inverter do?
It converts the direct current (DC) panels produce into the alternating current (AC) homes and the grid use.
Part of the guide: Energy & Electricity at Home →