How does solar power work?

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Have you ever wanted to know, “How does solar power work?” Well, now you can finally get your answer.

The simplified answer:

Silicon is mounted beneath non-reflective glass to produce panels. The panels collect photon from the sun, and doing so creates DC electrical power. This power then flows into an inverter. The inverter transforms the power into the basic voltage and AC electrical power that you use.

All right. So, that simplified answer likely does not fully answer your question, “how does solar power work.” So, let us give you the slightly more complicated answer (an answer that is still much simpler than the full of it, though.)

You probably want to know a bit more about that silicon, right? Well, silicon has 4 electrons, but it has the capacity to have 8. When two atoms of silicon combine, they have a stable, strong bond; they each share their 4 electrons to fill that capacity of 8.

Of course, to create electricity, you need a positive or negative charge. In other words, the silicon must combine with something else. When silicon combines with an element that has 5 electrons to share (like phosphorus), a negative charge is created. Silicon can only take 4 of the 5 electrons, so one electron is stuck there, hanging out.

On the other hand, when silicon is combined with an element that has 3 electrons to offer (like boron), a positive charge is created. These silicon combinations are used to make solar panels.

The photons come down from the sunlight and they like to hit the silicon and get everything all rattled up. When the photons hit the silicon, they force that free electron that was hanging onto the silicon/phosphorous combination out to the outer ring. From here, it gets sucked up to the outer ring of the silicon/boron combination.

And voila, the electricity is created, and we have reached the end (at least, in this simplified answer to “how does solar power work,” we have reached the end).

In truth, there is a bit more to know. For instance, that extra electron moves back to the silicon/phosphorous combo so that the whole process can start again.

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