Generating Electricity For Home With Solar Panels

The solar power panels functions with the help of sunlight to create electricity with the photovoltaic effect. When light is absorbed by a semiconductor such as silicon then electrons within the material increases its energy. This increased energy causes the electrons to maneuver inside the material. However, there has to be charge carriers in order for the electrons to maneuver inside a preferred direction to produce an electric current. Charge carriers are made by doping the semiconductor, which means adding small amounts of impurities to change the material's electrical properties.

Solar cells become less efficient at higher temperatures and so it's desirable to reduce heat within the panels. Not many cell modules incorporate any design features to diminish temperature, but installers try to provide good ventilation behind these panels. Silicon is an element with four valence electrons and this means that whenever a silicon atom bonds along with other silicon atoms, they complete their valence shells by sharing all electrons. Doping silicon involves adding small amounts of a material with three valence electrons or a material along with five valence electrons. With the addition of a small amount of aluminum, for example, an atom with three valence electrons and covalent bonding of the aluminum to silicon creates 'holes'. A 'hole' may be the absence of an electron where there would normally be one if there was no impurity bonded to silicon, which ends in a positive type silicon semiconductor. Adding a tiny bit of an atom with five valence electrons, for example antimony causes an effect that's opposite. Once antimony is bonded to other silicon atoms, you will see an extra electron that's loosely bound to antimony that will result in a negative type silicon semiconductor. Introduction of a voltage to either kind of semiconductor causes current to move inside a direction that's preferred.

The cell modules make use of a layer of positive type silicon and a layer of negative type silicon. This way, when light is absorbed and also the electrons within the negative type layer rise in energy, the electrons will be able to travel from the negative type layer towards the 'holes' within the positive type layer. This electrical current allows solar panel technology to transform light energy into electricity. Silicon based solar power panels modules aren't the sole kind of solar cells. Other forms range from the panels which use conductive polymers or light absorbing dyes.
Gerald possess a background education in architecture and have not too long ago done some freelance work on consulting for the growing business of eco-friendly and renewable energy. You can learn more about the off grid solar panel kits right here on his site.