Question

How does a panel solar work

Answer 1

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are based on a high-tech but remarkably simple technology that converts sunlight directly to electricity.



The most important components of a PV cell are two layers of semiconductor material commonly composed of silicon crystals. On its own, crystallized silicon is not a very good conductor of electricity, but when impurities are intentionally added—a process called doping—the stage is set for creating an electric current.

The bottom layer of the PV cell is usually doped with boron, which bonds with the silicon to facilitate a positive charge (P), while the top layer is doped with phosphorus, which bonds with the silicon to facilitate a negative charge (N).

The surface between the resulting "p-type" and "n-type" semiconductors is called the P-N junction (see diagram below). Electron movement at this surface produces an electric field that allows electrons to flow only from the p-type layer to the n-type layer. 

When sunlight enters the cell, its energy knocks electrons loose in both layers. Because of the opposite charges of the layers, the electrons want to flow from the n-type layer to the p-type layer. But the electric field at the P-N junction prevents this from happening.