Submitted by elsbeth on Wed, 2009-10-28 10:35

What is a solar panel?

 

A solar panel consists of multiple series-connected solar cells encapsulated between glass or plastic panels that are transparent at the front. The back can be coated with either a transparent or opaque finish. A solar panel produces DC power initially. An inverter can be used to convert the DC power into 230-volt AC power.

In this way, a solar panel can convert sunlight directly into electricity. On average, solar panels have a surface area of one square metre and a thickness of 5 to 8 mm. There is typically a terminal box on the back to connect the panels together and to the inverter.

To reduce reflection of sunlight, the solar cells are coated. The colour of the coating determines the degree of reduction in reflection: but coloured coatings (yellow, green, purple, brown and grey) result in 10 to 30% less output than darker cells (dark blue or black).