A solar panel is an assembly of solar cells that can
convert light directly into electricity. A family’s electricity needs can be
covered by combining the capacity of several solar panels. Depending on the
type of panel, 5 to 19 % of the light energy can be converted into electricity.
This is known as the output of the panel. As the technology is constantly being
improved, the output should increase further. Using solar panels, we can
convert sunlight, which is free and inexhaustible, into electricity. This
conversion is achieved thanks to the so-called “semiconductor” material from
which each solar cell is made.
Two generations of solar panels
The material most often used for solar cells is
silicon. This material can occur in three forms:
• Monocrystalline
silicon
• Polycrystalline
(or multicrystalline) silicon
• Amorphous
silicon
These various forms produce different types of solar
panels with differing prices, useful lives and output:
• First-generation
solar panels use monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon (output of 12 to 19
%).
• Second-generation
solar panels consist of solar cells made of amorphous silicon. This name also
applies to solar panels based on other materials that have appeared on the
market more recently:
• CIS
(copper-indium-selenium)
• CIS
(copper-indium-gallium-selenium)
• CdTe
(cadmium telluride)
It uses thin semiconductor layers, which is the
particular feature of this second generation. That’s why these panels are less
expensive and more aesthetic, but has a lower output (from 5 to 11 %).
The convertor: the most important element in the
installation
A solar panel generates direct current. It has to be
converted to alternating current of 230 V, to use this current in the home or in
other place. This is done by the converter, which is integrated into the
electrical circuit close to the solar panels.
What production level can we expect?
The capacity of a solar installation is expressed in
watt peak. This is the maximum electrical capacity that a solar cell can yield
under ideal circumstances, solar collector directed towards the sun in a
cloudless sky.
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