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Avon Electric

What is a solar photovoltaic panel?

Sunday, October 08, 2006
A photovoltaic array, otherwise known as a solar photovoltaic panel, is a collection of solar cells set up to convert solar energy into electricity. A commonly used term for a photovoltaic array is ‘solar panels’ but this can also refer to solar hot water panels. Photovoltaic panels are solar cells setup in a convenient way for installation into households or industrial situations or linked together for larger scale energy production systems.

The solar cell arrays in photovoltaic panels convert the light from the sun into electricity. They rely on the photovoltaic effect which allows certain materials to convert sunlight into electricity by absorbing the energy from the sun, causing a current to flow between the two oppositely charged layers in the cell. The energy from a solar cell is by itself relatively insignificant, but when linked together into an array can generate enough power for practical use.
Solar panels installed on a house
Solar panels installed on a house