OPERATION AND STRUCTURE OF A SOLAR PANEL

OPERATION AND STRUCTURE OF A SOLAR PANEL

What is the structure of a solar panel?

The solar panel consists of a series of  layers  . A solar panel consists of  several solar cells  that are placed in series. 

If a solar cell is in series, a solar cell that is in the shadow will absorb and consume energy. This can cause overheating and destroy the cell. 

The so-called  hotspot effect  . To avoid this, solar panels also have  bypass diodes  . These diodes protect the cells at a maximum current value.

Protect the solar cells against all kinds of damage, such as severe weather conditions and mechanical damage, which are  encapsulated  with glass, plastic, resin or film.

How does a solar cell of a solar panel work?

Solar panels consist of different types of solar cells ( photovoltaic cells   , also called photovoltaic cells) made of  silicon  . 

Each cell   individually  converts light into electricity  . The incident sunlight creates an electric current that can be absorbed. Depending on the type of silicon, the solar cell can convert more or less sunlight into electricity.

As you can see above, the  light  of the  sun is important and not the heat  . That’s why solar cells and solar panels also generate electricity during cloudy days or even during the winter period. 

However, it is important to  install  and  orient  the solar cells in such a way that they can absorb as much sunlight as possible.

How does a solar panel system work?

1. The sun shines and the  solar panels  take  sunlight  in
2. An  inverter  converts  the direct voltage  of the solar panel into  alternating voltage
3. Production meter  (measuring its production using solar energy)
4. Electric board  or distribution box.
5. The electricity generated flows through the  green  electricity  meter  . This  records each Kwh  *  produced  .
6. The electricity generated is consumed by  electrical appliances   or energy consumers   . If the solar panels generate more electricity than the electricity that is consumed, then this surplus current is sent back to the grid and its main counter runs backwards.

* The kilowatt hour (symbol kWh) is a unit of work or, popularly, an amount of electrical energy. If a machine with a capacity of 1 kW runs for one hour, one “consumes” an energy of 1 kWh.