PV Gap

Erin Said:

Would it be better to live somewhere with a lot of sun for solar panels?

We Answered:

Solar panels cost a great deal, however, they often work when there is a significant amount of cloud over. It depends on what you want.

Rita Said:

How do solar panels convert the sun's rays to electricity?

We Answered:

Hey mate
There is two main ways we use the suns energy to generate electrical energy:
Photovoltanic Energy is generated by a photovoltaic cell which generates an electrical current when light is applied.
Thermal Solar Energy uses the heat from the sun to boil steam and then turn turbines to generate electrical energy.

Carrie Said:

when we use energy from the sun(using solar panels)to create electricity?

We Answered:

When we use,,, solar panels?
In the daytime.

Nina Said:

What part of light/sun powers solar panels?

We Answered:

Depends. Some solar panels, like the ones in those spinning toys, are actually powered by the impact of photons on the panels.

The ones that generate electricity are made with silicon and phosphorus, which have a negative charge (one extra electron). When the photon hits the silicon/phosphorus molecule, the extra electron is given a boost out of the electron shell and becomes available. So if you hook up a circuit, off it goes. It goes to another part of the circuit, where silicon is bound to boron, which has holes in its electron shell.

Calvin Said:

Does anyone know how to heat water using only the sun copper and no solar panels?

We Answered:

get a large magnifying glass, or some other way to focus the sun on the water container.