How Do Solar Panels Work?
See our step-by-step guide to solar panels and how they work for residential homes. Let us help you find a solar panel installer.
Sometimes your solar panels produce more electricity than your home needs, especially during peak sunlight hours. That extra energy doesn't go to waste. If your system includes a battery, it stores the excess electricity for later use, such as at night or during a power outage.
Solar panels are the most important part of a solar power system since they produce the electricity that eventually finds it's way to your laptop, lights and television. In this basic introduction, we look at how this happens. How do solar panels work? Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity through a process called the photovoltaic effect.
The more panels you install, the more electricity your system can generate. Even with solar panels on your roof, most homes remain connected to the electric grid. The grid is the system of power plants, substations, and power lines that deliver electricity to homes and businesses.
Efficiency is a measure of how much of the sun's potential energy a panel will convert into solar power. Most panels have an efficiency rating of between 15-23%. You shouldn't worry too much about panel efficiency. High-efficiency panels only matter where you have a small space to work with. They do however cost more.
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