How Does Solar Power Work?

With all the hype and news coverage renewable energy is getting these days you may be looking at solar energy as an alternative power source for your home. Before jumping head first into a solar energy project you probably would like to know how does solar power work?

The answer can be as complex as you want to take it, here, we will break down into simple terms how solar power works.

There are two methods for collecting and using solar energy that are described here, the solar thermal method and the photovoltaic method.

The Solar Thermal Method

In the solar thermal method, energy from the sun is used ‘as is’ to generate heat. Solar panels collect the Sun’s heat and store it in water or a non-toxic type of anti-freeze inside of tubes in the solar panels.

This heated liquid can then be used for heating buildings designed to maximize this energy.

Solar thermal is the most basic form (other than plant photosynthesis) of solar energy. It is the Sun’s direct energy without being converted.

Photovoltaic Solar Energy

Photovoltaic solar energy is a bit more complicated but there are many more uses for the energy generated.

Using this method electricity is created using the Sun’s energy. The process for converting the Sun’s energy into electricity is known as the photovoltaic process. Breaking down into steps is shown below:

1. Solar panels made up of solar cells (or just a solar cell if it is a small object, such as a calculator). These solar cells are made using silicon materials. Silicon is excellent for absorbing the sun’s energy in the form of light. Notice that with this process the Sun’s actual light is being harvested not its warmth.
2. Solar panels are combined or inter-tied to collect more light, which in turn generates more electricity.
3. The solar cells are made up of electrons which are stimulated by the Sun’s light – Sun light has an energy particle called a photon which acts similar to a hammer on the electrons in the solar cells. When the electrons in the solar cell are attacked like this, there is an extra electron that has been wanting free and is released – this is the energy that is collected in the form of a direct electric current (DC).
4. This collected current of electricity is not useful in its DC form and must be converted.
5. The DC current is passed through an inverter to create and AC current, the standard current for power use.
6. The power is now ready for use in household appliances or other electrical objects or to a battery for storage.

Lastly, just to understand a little more, there is direct and indirect solar energy. Basically they are as their name implies.

Direct Solar Energy

Direct solar energy comes directly from the sun, with only one transformation step involved. This is seen in solar cells that generate electricity directly from the sun (remember the solar calculator), the solar panels that collect sunlight in water/liquid filled tubes, or by a fiber optic cable on the outside of a house absorbing the sunlight and using it to light the inside of the house.

Indirect solar energy

Indirect solar energy is energy that uses sunlight but has to process it through multiple steps. These are things such as photosynthesis in plants – eventually the plants become fossil fuel or biofuels can be made using chemicals and bypassing the thousand-year wait. Dams that operate on hydroelectricity are another form of indirect  energy.

So there you have it. A basic answer for the complex questions of how does solar power work? It’s really not as complex as you might think. As an end user you don’t have to know how many electrons are combined and which ones are being given off as power, all you want is the renewable source of energy.

We recommend you checkout this awesome guide for building renewable energy solutions, including a complete solar powered system for less than $200:  Earth4Energy Renewable Energy Solution.