We recently came across a smartly produced video by the Department of Energy explaining how sunlight becomes electricity through PV panels. Here’s an excerpt of the video:
“Sunlight is made of tiny packages of energy called photons. These photons radiate out from the sun and 93 million miles later they collide with the semi-conductor on a solar panel installed on a rooftop or elsewhere. The panels are made of several individual cells, each with a negative and positive layer, which created an electric field. The photon strikes the cell and their energy frees some electrons in the semiconductor material. The electrons create electric current, which is harnessed by wires connected to the positive and negative sides of the cell. The electricity created is multiplied by the number of cells in each panel and the number of panels in each solar array.”
Got it? Sounds quite easy. The video is called Energy 101: Solar PV and was released on social networks after the announcement of a plan to reduce costs of solar power by 2020.
The video is very enthusiastic about solar – and so are we, so we loved it here at Energy Refuge. Enjoy it!
Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.
