Undoubtedly, the generation of solar energy generates a lot of curiosity, since its inception, this noble system and friend of the environment, has been a subject that has caused us that intrigue to know how a device can convert UV rays into electricity perfectly consumable.
Probably, when we think of solar energy, the first thing that comes to mind is a large solar panel on our roof, we are fine if that is the case. But let’s delve a little about the functionality of these plates and how they can transform solar energy into electrical energy.
In general, these plates are made up of photovoltaic cells and these are made up of one or more sheets of semiconductor material, covered with a transparent glass that lets in as much solar radiation as possible, thus helping to reduce light losses.
In these small cells lies a good part of what is the absorption of solar energy, for example, conventional photovoltaic solar cells are manufactured with silicon, a material that makes them very efficient, with an average performance that already reaches and even exceeds the 17 percent.
In the case of more complex systems such as concentration, materials are used that allow the formation of multi-junctions, increasing performance with values of up to 30 percent.
An ecological and simple process
Understanding how electricity is produced from solar energy is quite simple. Photons from sunlight hit the plate’s photovoltaic cells directly, creating a field of electricity between the layers that make it up and generating an electric current. In such a way that, the more intense the light received, the greater the electrical flow.
When solar energy is absorbed, the photoelectric cells transform that energy into direct current, and then through the inverter it is transformed into alternating current, and thus give use to our electrical equipment that we have in our home or office.
It really is a simple process, the only drawback is the production costs of the panels, although little by little these are being reduced and the performance of the solar panels is also increasing little by little, with which over time Photovoltaic solar energy is becoming more and more affordable and more profitable compared to other ways of producing energy.
So we already know how solar energy is produced , a process that will surely last over time, as it is a clean, sustainable and ecological energy that little by little is spreading more and more throughout the world.
