Solar Energy

Solar energy together with wind power, hydroelectricity and biomass account for most of the available renewable energy on Earth.

Solar technologies are characterized as passive solar and active solar depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute sunlight. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors (water heaters) to convert sunlight into useful outputs. Passive solar techniques include designing the building angles to the Sun, selecting special materials with thermal or light dispersing properties, and air circulation.

Solar cells in side a solar panel convert sunlight directly into electricity.  When sunlight is absorbed by the semi-conducting materials of the solar cells, the electrons absorb the photons and become liberated from their atoms and flow through the material to produce electricity.  This process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage) is called the photovoltaic (PV) effect. Thus the solar panel also called as photovoltaic panel.