Monocrystalline 545W Solar Panels

You can’t talk about solar panels without talking about silicon. Silicon is a non-metallic element and the second-most abundant material on earth.⁴ It can also convert sunlight into electricity, and it’s a key component in a solar system (also known as a photovoltaic, or PV system).⁵

Solar panels, solar cells, or PV cells, are made by slicing crystalline silicon (also known as wafers) that are millimeters thin. These wafers are sandwiched between protective glass, insulation, and a protective back sheet, which make a solar panel. The back sheet helps to regulate the temperature and humidity to optimize the solar panel’s efficiency.⁶ Multiple solar panels connected together create a solar array, and ultimately, a solar system.

Then there’s the physics of how solar cells work: Electricity is made when electrons move between atoms. The top and bottom of a silicon wafer in the solar cell are treated with small amounts of atoms of extra materials—such as boron, gallium, or phosphorus—so that the top layer has more electrons and the bottom layer has less. When the sun activates the electrons in these oppositely charged layers, the electrons move through a circuit attached to the panels. This flow of electrons through the circuit is what generates the electrical current that ultimately powers a home.⁷