How solar energy works from the roof to your house

As energy costs rise and concerns about climate change increase, more people are turning to solar energy to power their homes and businesses. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems harness the sun’s energy for electricity, and the financial benefits of switching to solar can be significant.

How solar PV works

Captures sunlight

At the core of any solar power system is the solar panel, made up of many individual solar cells. These cells are typically made from silicon and designed to capture sunlight. When sunlight hits the solar panel, the energy from the sun’s photons is absorbed by the solar cells.

Producing electricity (photovoltaic effect)  

Once the sunlight is absorbed, the energy causes electrons within the solar cells to become excited, moving them through the material andgenerating an electric current. This process is called the photovoltaic effect. The current produced is direct current (DC) electricity.

Converting DC to AC**  

Most household appliances and the electrical grid usealternating current (AC) electricity, so an inverter is needed to invert the DC electricity generated by the solar panels into usable AC electricity at 240Vand 50hz. The inverter is a crucial component of the solar PV system andensures the electricity can be used in your home or fed back into the grid.

Electricity distribution 

Once the electricity is converted, it flows into all electrical appliances in your home that are switched on. If there is more electricity coming from the panels than the house needs, the excess exported tothe grid. If there isn’t enough, the house draws its remaining needs from the grid. That’s why these systems are referred to as “Grid Coupled”. They work inconjunction with the grid. Of course you might also have a battery, in which case this will also charge and discharge to buy and sell as little of your self-generated solar as possible.

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Have a scroll through our home page to find out more about our solar installations.

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