How do photovoltaic cells generate electricity

With the staggering energy prices still haunting most of Europe, you might have found yourself wondering if this is the right time to purchase photovoltaic for your home. With photovoltaic gaining popularity, many homeowners have pondered on the same question. In this article, you will find out how do photovoltaic cells generate electricity step by step and learn whether photovoltaic is right for you. 

Before you install an unknow piece of technology on your roof, it is important to become familiar with at least the basics of how it works. A photovoltaic (PV) cell, or so called solar cell, is an energy harvesting technology, that converts solar energy into useful electricity through a process called the photovoltaic effect. When light shines on a PV cell, that light may be reflected, absorbed, or pass right through the cell. The PV cell is composed of semiconductor material; the “semi” means that it can conduct electricity better than an insulator but not as well as a good conductor like a metal. There are several different semiconductor materials used in PV cells. 

Now you might be wondering, what is the difference between solar panels and solar cells? And what are solar panels made of? The distinction is fairly simple. Solar panels are made of multiple solar cells. Solar cells act as a sort of building blocks of solar panels, playing a key role in the photovoltaic effect. 

Now that you are aware what photovoltaic cells are, let´s have a look on how do photovoltaic cells work. When the semiconductor is exposed to light, it absorbs the light’s energy and transfers it to electrons, the negatively charged particles in the material. This extra energy allows the particles to flow through the material as an electrical current. The movement of electrons, which are carrying a negative charge, towards the front surface of the photovoltaic cell, creates an imbalance of electrical charge between the cell's front and back surfaces. This imbalance creates a voltage potential like the negative and positive terminals of a battery. The electrical conductors on the cell absorb these electrons. When the conductors are connected in an electrical circuit to an external load, for example, a battery, electricity flows through the circuit.  
An important feature of PV semiconductors is the distance between the valence band of electrons and the conduction band, which indicates what wavelengths of light the material can absorb and convert to electrical energy. If the semiconductor’s bandgap matches the wavelengths of light shining on the PV cell, then that cell can efficiently make use of all the available energy. 

What are the main advantages of solar energy? Solar energy is sustainable, renewable, and thanks to the source being the sun, very difficult to exhaust. As the cost of using solar to produce electricity goes down each year, many homeowners are increasingly switching to solar. Now, there are over a million solar installations across the country. Below are additional benefits of switching to solar electricity. 

A solar electric system provides an opportunity for anyone who is looking to reduce monthly utility bills and make a long-term, low-risk investment. Financial returns and lower monthly utility bills are major incentives for going solar. The exact savings you will see with solar depends on the following:  

• Solar energy system size 
• Whether you purchase or lease your system 
• Energy consumption 
• The number of hours of daily sunlight 
• Size and angle of roof 
• Local electricity prices.

It might seem obvious, but the fact that every area of the Earth gets sunlight to a greater or lesser extent offers a twofold advantage. First and foremost, sunlight is an energy source that can be used anywhere on the planet and even gets to places with no infrastructure or connections: hence in isolated, rural areas, places that are remote or difficult to get to, the sun is always an option. Furthermore, thanks to the availability of sunlight, solar energy can be used by individual households without the reliance on other households.This is very difficult to implement for other sources of renewable energy, such as the wind. Once converted into electricity, solar energy is very simple to transport. That means that huge amounts of electricity can be generated in large solar farms, perhaps in areas of the Earth with the highest levels of sunlight, such as the equatorial belt. 

Photovoltaics produce energy mainly in the middle of the day, but thanks to larger, more efficient and reliable storage systems, or batteries, the energy can be stored and used later when the sun is no longer shining. Although there may be differences between countries, solar energy, particularly where photovoltaic technology is used to generate it, can be transferred directly to the electricity grid. This creates a possibility for energy communities and allows private individuals and businesses to send the excess energy they produce to the market, guaranteeing that the energy will not be wasted, and the individual still saves money. 

The solar panel depreciates the most in the first year of use. This means that by the first year, the longevity of the panel is down by 10 %. However, every other year, it drops to 0.4 % a year. Many companies, including LEDVANCE, then can guarantee 15 to 20 years of guaranteed usage of panels. When it comes to maintenance, the panels need to be cleaned not as often and require just a miniscule scrub. With their lifespan around 20 years, it is highly likely that they will be replaced in the house by a future generation. 

Now that you know what photovoltaic cells are, what they are made of and what type of role they play in the photovoltaic process, you are one step closer to panel installation. We hope we have provided enough information, but if you are still looking for more, do not hesitate to contact us or check out our FAQ section.