Electrical power may seem complex since it's impossible to see or touch, but you can still get a basic idea of how solar panels function without being a genius. A home solar setup is a simple unit, made up of of the panel array, an electricity inverter, and wiring. It's the actual magic of changing of the sun into electrical power that's hard to believe.

#1 How the Parts Work

First, consider the basic parts: sunshine hits the earth and collides with the a home solar system. A complex reaction happens that makes an electrical current. The new DC current moves through wires from the site of energy production to the site of energy conversion. The inverter changes the current to a usable form by changing DC into AC (that's what your home uses). Beyond the solar inverter, your appliance-ready energy is now usable for your home or, if you have enough electricity, it's sent toward the utility grid.

#2 Where does the electricity conversion happen?

We're going to gloss of the details here (think quantum mechanics), we'll go over the basic ideas: first, the sun's energy impacts a solar array. Each panel is is composed of cells, which are present in different amounts depending on the type of panel. A solar cell is a small unit, about the width of a small plate, and made of layered semi-conductors, like silicon. If you get close to a panel you can often see each cell.

When the sun's energy impacts the cell, it bumps electrons into a higher-energy state in the semi-conducting material. Each cell is made to send electrons down one path, creating a direct (DC) current through the rest of the cells. Each of the solar cells are hooked together, therefore the power capacity of the panel is greater with more cells. The system output is a factor of the number of panels linked in the array..

While the scientific detail is a bit hard to grasp, you now have enough detail to understand how a solar array works and how the sun provides solar power for homes.