PV Gap

Kathy Said:

WHY do solar panels work?

We Answered:

Solar panels depends on the sun to store sort of heat energy and convert that energy into electric energy, as simple as that

Dan Said:

how do solar panels work in satellites? ?

We Answered:

They work the same way they work anywhere else.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-c…

Jimmie Said:

How well do solar panels work in Pittsburgh, Pa?

We Answered:

It is not necessarily a question of how well do they work, but more so a question on what location will they be working in. I assume you are talking about Solar Electric (Photovoltaic) panels. These work equally as well in Pittsburgh as they would in Southern California. The big difference is the solar resource in the two locations. There are plenty of solar electric systems installed in Pennsylvania that work just fine. Because Pittsburgh has a lower solar resource than say Southern California, you would just need a larger solar array. If you want more info on how to go about sizing a solar system, I would recommend checking out these articles...

http://howto.altestore.com/Articles-on-R…

http://www.altestore.com/store/calculato…

Hope this info helps.

-Dave C.

Jamie Said:

how do solar panels work? including how they collect rays and use it for energy?

We Answered:

Here are some websites for you:

http://www.glrea.org/articles/howDoSolar…

http://www.solarhome.org/infohowdosolarp…

http://www.howstuffworks.com/solar-cell.…

Kent Said:

How do Wind turbines and Solar Panels work? How can you use them in a house?

We Answered:

Yes

Wind turbines use a propeller to catch the wind. They work better the higher off the ground they are because the wind is more steady and greater. The propeller turns a gear and a shaft and generates electrical power. The method of storing this power also will determine cost and overall efficiency.

Solar Panels work by converting the energy from photons in sunlight into electrical current. Again, the method of storage is key to efficiency.

Don't forget passive Solar design. Just by creating a water panel and plumbing, you can save most of your hot water energy demands which is the number one use of electricity in most homes.

Leo Said:

quick summary of how solar panels work?

We Answered:

Are you asking about photovoltaic cells? If you are, the following applies.

A super simple answer is that when the material from which the cells are made, is placed in the path of sunlight, the valance electrons gain a lot of energy and polarise the material, thus allowing it to develop a voltage.

Are you asking about solar heating panels? If you are, the following applies.

A long length of copper pipe is bent into a flat coil and then painted matt black. Water is pumped through the pipe. The sunlight heats the copper pipe and the heat is transferred to the water which gets hot. The black paint makes the copper absorb more heat.

Tracy Said:

Can someone tell me how solar panels work?

We Answered:

Solar panels work because they are made from a semi-conducting material. You have to view the solar cell as a kind of capacitor, with one region above the depletion zone(top plate), and another plate below the depletion zone (bottom plate). The incident light hitting the depletion region, injects charges into the latter. The freed electrons and their corresponding holes will move through the region under the action of the electric field between the plates. The semi-conducting material acts like a capacitor, holding electrons on one side of the plate, and the holes on the other side of the plate. A force is required to move the electrons out of position. This is the sunlight. A combination of wavelenghts and photons the duality of light...