Solar cells are made of thin layers of s ilicon. When sunlight strikes the cells , chemical reac tions release electrons , generating electric current. Individual cells are grouped together to form solar modules which, when installed on the roof or ground as a component of a complete solar system, generate electricity.

HOW SOLAR WORKS

Solar cells are converters.They take energy from sunlight and convert that energy into electricity.The conversion of sunlight into electricity is made possible with the special properties of semiconducting materials. Most solar cells are made from silicon,the 14th element. Silicon is a "semi-conductor" or a "semi-metal" and has properties of both a meta land an insulator. Solar cells alone cannot produce usable power. They need to be interconnected with other system components that ultimately conduct a specific electrical demand, or "load".

Photovoltaic (PV) system scan either be stand-alone or grid-connected. The main difference between these two basic types of systems is that for grid-connected systems, the PV system produces power in parallel with the electrical utility.It can feed power back into the utility grid if the on site load does not use all of the PV system's output.

When the sun is shining,the direct current (DC) electricity from the PV modules is converted to alternating current (AC) by the power of an electronic inverter, and then fed directly into the site power distribution systemwhere it supplies electric power. Any excess solar power is exported to the utility power grid and any short fall is made up with electricity supplied by the grid. During non-sun hours, the site is supplied by utility power alone.

The diagram to the left illustrates the basic components of a Power Light Solar Power System.