How Does the Photovoltaic Solar Panel Work?

WHAT IS SOLAR?

First, it is necessary to differentiate the photovoltaic panel from the thermal panel. These two types of panels are found in the same family called solar panels. They will both draw their energy from the same source: the sun. However, they produce two completely different things:

The photovoltaic solar panel uses sunlight to make electricity.
The thermal solar panel uses the heat of the sun to heat the water.

We are clear about the definitions but we do not yet know how it works.

HOW DOES THE PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR PANEL WORK?

You will be surprised to learn that the photovoltaic effect was discovered in 1839 by the French physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel. Many researchers, including Einstein, have studied the subject but little progress has been made because the yield was too bad. It was the conquest of space in the 1960s that revived the research and the first devices equipped with photovoltaic cells were the satellites. 10 years later, scientists began to propose land structures.

It is therefore thanks to the photovoltaic cells that make up the panels that the rays of the sun can be turned into electricity. The photovoltaic panel is composed of electrons, which will start moving when they receive the energy from the light particles. And there, an electrical flux is created and grows in proportion to the amount of light it receives.

Well, now we know how to produce electricity but we will not be able to use it right away, we have to work it. It's like when you buy a frozen pizza, you have to put it in the oven before you can eat it.

The photovoltaic panels will produce direct current, which must be transformed into alternating current in order to power our devices. It is thanks to an inverter that this operation will be possible, like the oven that cooks our pizza.

HOW DOES A PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATION WORK?

The base of the installation is the structure, on which we will install the panels. The structure will have to support the weight of the installation and will be secured to the framework by solid hooks. It will either be integrated into the roof as a replacement for the tiles or be affixed (superimposed) to the roof tiles. The process remains the same for different covering materials.

Once the structure is installed, we will pull the solar cables that will serve to connect our panels.

The panels will be attached to the structure. We will leave about 10 centimeters between the tiles and the panels to let the air circulate and to avoid the overheating of the panels.

For safety reasons, a lightning protection box is installed to prevent overvoltage in the event of a lightning strike.

This electricity, which is still in direct current, goes into the inverter and comes out in alternating current.

Additionally, we can also use an energy storage system called battery. It can be recharged a great number of times and is used when there is no more sunshine.

We arrive at the electrical panel from which leave 2 paths: The first will power your various electrical appliances. It is self-consumption. You save money because you do not have to buy electricity from your supplier. The second will re-inject surplus electricity into the grid network. You benefit from the current purchase by your supplier.

Finally, a production control system informs you of all the necessary data concerning your installation and warns in case of an anomaly so that you can intervene in the shortest possible time.

MAINTENANCE OF YOUR SOLAR INSTALLATION

A solar power system requires little maintenance. It is however advisable to have your solar panels cleaned from time to time by a specialized company in order to remove dead leaves, dust or other pollution. This simple and inexpensive gesture can increase your output by up to 12%.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

So we know how a solar system works and cleaning improves efficiency. That's positive and the good news is not over ... Your plant does not pollute, does not generate any waste, produces no greenhouse gases and is 99% recyclable.

A Brief of Solar Photovoltaic Modules

The role of photovoltaic modules is to convert the incident solar energy into electricity. When they receive a certain amount of light, the photovoltaic surfaces (cells or thin films) integrated into a module (also called panel) begin to produce electricity in the form of direct current. To achieve this, the technologies used are diverse and rapidly evolving. In recent years, the breakthrough of building integration applications has also assumed photovoltaic modules as architectural functions such as roofing, solar shading, lightening, cladding or glass roofing.

photovoltaic solar panels

Very fragile in the raw state, photovoltaic materials must be protected from the weather, which is generally achieved by a transparent and solid glass which constitutes the upper part of a sandwich studied to withstand the aggressions of the environment for several decades.

The rear face of the sandwich may be constituted by a specially designed cured polymer or by a second layer of glass, thus allowing a semi-transparency of the assembly.

The most common modules today are rigid rectangular panels with a surface area between 0.5 and 3 m 2 , a few centimeters thick and weighing a few tens of kilograms.

Subject to the Sun's radiation (ultra-violet, infrared ...) and to the weather, the materials of the photovoltaic solar panels gradually degrade.

The modules of the first photovoltaic installation in France connected to the state grid, commissioned by the HESPUL association in 1992, were tested in 2012. This study, carried out by the CEA laboratories of the National Institute of Solar Energy ) and the certification body CERTISOLIS, concludes that the modules lost only 8.3% of their initial power after 20 years of use.

Currently, the main manufacturers such as Greco Solar guarantee a maximum power reduction of about 20% over 20 or 25 years. The result of this study shows that the performance of these modules is far superior to the guaranteed values.