How do my solar panels work?

Through this article you can learn how solar energy from our sun becomes, clean, green electricity that powers your electric home.

Solar panels are made out of an array of photovoltaic (PV) cells made from a material called Silicon which is known as a 'semiconductor'. A semiconductor is a material that under normal conditions acts as an insulator of electricity such as rubber. However, under special conditions, the material changes properties and acts more like a conductor of electricity like some metals. 

A PV cell is made of different layers. Each layer of a PV cell has different electrical properties as they are made out of different types of Silicon. One layer has been doped with an abundance of negatively charged electrons known as an N-Type semiconductor while another is doped with an abundance of positively charged 'holes' (which is just the absence of an electron) which is known as a P-Type semiconductor.

When a photon (packet of light energy) with enough energy from sunlight hits the cell, this creates an electric field between the two types of semiconductors. This is known as the photoelectric effect and creates a direct current (DC) flow between the N-Type and P-Type semiconductors which can then be extracted from the panel.  

The DC electricity from a PV solar panel flows into your inverter and is stored in a battery if there isn't any consumption in the home. An inverter converts the DC electricity (directly from the panels or from the battery) into a usable alternating current (AC) which can be used in homes (through self-consumption) or exported back to the national grid. 

What are the advantages of solar energy with Wondrwall?

• Solar panels act as an independent source of electricity, meaning you are less reliant on the grid as an energy source.
• Solar energy is clean i.e it does not emit harmful greenhouse gases into the environment like a traditional fossil fuel-powered station would do.
• There are no moving parts like other forms of renewable energy such as wind power. This gives solar panels a longer expected lifetime than wind power for example. 
• Wondrwall solar panels are aesthetically pleasing to look at with our in-roof mounting system that houses the panels flush with your roof. This means that the panels seamlessly integrate with the roof as opposed to older on-roof mounted models of solar panels that sit on top of roof tiles. 
• Solar panels on a Wondrwall home, work coherently with the rest of the Wondrwall solution. Solar energy can be either stored in the battery or used in the home through self-consumption to power your all-electric home. 
• Excess solar power can be sold back to the national grid creating another revenue stream for the home, while also helping to decarbonise the national grid. This is turn will help further push our society to be less reliant on fossil fuels as a power source. Read more about this in our article What is an export tariff and why do I need it?