How do Solar Panels Work, for Kids

Written-by

Janet Richardson

Reviewed-by

Richard Burdett-Gardiner

Updated on

Sep 29, 2024

How do Solar Panels Work, for Kids

You have probably seen a lot of solar panels recently, as more and more people are having them installed on their roofs. You may also have seen huge fields of solar panels when you have been out and about. However, do you know what they are or how they work? Take a look at this solar panel guide and find out just what solar power is! The article is full of solar energy facts for kids. 

How a Solar Panel Works

The solar panels that are installed on the roof of a house capture energy from the sun. They take this energy and use it to provide the house with electricity and even hot water. Solar panels can even work on cloudy days when the sun isn’t very visible at all. Each panel is made up of a layer of silicon cells, a metal frame, a glass casing surrounded by a special film, and wiring. To make the most of the energy from the sun the panels are grouped together into “arrays” and placed on rooftops or in large outdoor spaces.

The solar cells also known as photovoltaic cells absorb sunlight during daylight hours. Solar cells use the sun’s light rather than its heat. When the sun shines on a solar cell, the cell turns the light energy into electricity. As a single solar cell will only make a little electricity, they are grouped together so that they can provide electricity for whole buildings. Of course, solar panels cannot provide a home with power at night, so most people still have to remain connected to the National Grid (this is where you get your electricity from). However, there are some advantages to staying connected to the National Grid, as you will see in this step-by-step guide on how solar power provides energy for your home. 

• The sun shines on the solar panels and the panels absorb the energy, creating direct current (DC) electricity. Within each solar cell is a thin semiconductor wafer consisting of two layers of silicon. One of these layers is positively charged and the other is negatively charged which forms an electric field. When light energy from the sun hits a photovoltaic cell, it stimulates the cell causing electrons to ‘come loose’ from atoms within the semiconductor wafer. Those loose electrons are set into motion by the electric field surrounding the wafer, and this motion creates the electrical current. 
• Because the direct current (or DC) is not the type of electricity that powers most homes it needs to be converted into alternating current (or AC) electricity. Fortunately, DC electricity can easily be changed into AC electricity by a gadget called an inverter. The electricity is fed into the solar inverter which converts the DC electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity. In modern solar power systems, one inverter can work for the entire system or individual microinverters can be attached behind the panels. 
• The AC electricity is then distributed within the home to power your appliances. It works in the same way as the electrical power generated through the grid by your electric utility company, so you don’t need to change anything within your home. 
• On cloudy days and during the night your solar panels may not be able to capture enough sunlight to use for energy. However, since you are still connected to your traditional power company, you can automatically draw additional electricity from the grid to make up for any solar shortages. The reverse can also happen, and your solar panels may collect surplus energy, more than is needed to operate your home, especially if there is no one at home during the day. Any power that your home does not need gets sent back or sold to the National Grid for others to use. In a way, you could say that the National Grid works in a similar way to a bank. You can deposit your excess energy from your solar panels, but when you need it back later such as during the evening, you can take some back.

Having learned the basics about solar power you can only be amazed at how photovoltaic technology today can capture the huge power of the sun to operate our homes. It’s not quite rocket science, but it is an example of human ingenuity at its best. 

What are Solar farms?

Solar farms also known as solar parks or solar power plants are large areas of land that are covered with thousands of solar panels that generate lots of electricity. They are large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power systems (PV systems). Some solar farms have fixed solar panels that always face in the same direction while others have moving panels that turn so that they always directly face the sun. This helps them to generate as much electricity as possible. 

Solar farms have batteries that store energy so that they can keep providing electricity to thousands of homes even when there is no sun.

Solar farms like Scotland’s largest solar farm at Errol Estate in Perthshire can power thousands of homes even at night as they have big batteries that store extra energy built up over sunny days. 

Agrivoltaics

The large areas of land taken up by solar farms can also be used for agriculture. A recent study found that the value of solar-generated electricity combined with shade-tolerant crop production created an over 30% increase in economic value from farms deploying agrivoltaics systems instead of conventional agriculture. 

Solar Battery Storage 

Solar batteries store the excess energy generated by your solar panels to power your home when the weather is gloomy, rainy or the sun has set. 

Solar batteries can be an alternative to feeding energy back to the grid as you can use the energy stored in the battery when you actually need it. Chemical reactions take place within the battery to store the surplus electricity as potential energy. Any solar power not used during daylight hours is captured by the solar panels and stored within the battery ready to be converted back into usable electricity for future use. 

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power

The advantages:

• Solar panels produce clean energy. They create no harmful gases, so they are very environmentally friendly.
• Solar panels help to reduce your carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and methane that are generated by our actions. Reducing our carbon footprint helps the UK to reduce its overall carbon emissions. 
• Solar panels produce a completely renewable and inexhaustible source of energy as the sun’s energy is not going to run out for billions of years.
• Solar panels require little maintenance because there are no moving parts. Post-installation maintenance is similar to that of a normal electrical system with the addition of some periodic cleaning.  
• Solar panels are reliable. Sunlight is an energy source that can be used anywhere on the planet. Solar photovoltaics is a mature technology that has been developing since the last part of the twentieth century. Solar cell efficiency is improving all the time and is now over 20%. At the same time as, solar cells are becoming more efficient, they are also becoming cheaper making them increasingly more accessible and available. Solar panels can last for as long as 50 years in some cases though they become less efficient over time.
• Solar panels don’t produce any noise as there are no moving parts.
• If the sun is shining on your solar panels, you can use the energy for free, and so reduce your electricity bills.
• It is possible to make money from solar panels. Energy suppliers in the UK have to pay households for the renewable energy they export to the National Grid. This is achieved via the Smart Export Guarantee, a government-backed initiative. Energy suppliers set different rates for the electricity they buy thus making this a competitive market. 

The disadvantages:

• Solar panels are expensive to buy and install. With most solar panel installations lasting between 20 and 25 years and more, with the right maintenance, the initial cost can usually be paid back within the first 8 to 12 years. However, homeowners will need an initial investment of around £6,000 to £8,000 for a 4kW system which is the go-to system size. 
• Solar panels don’t work very well in cloudy conditions though they will still receive some sunlight. 
• Solar panels don’t generate power at night. This is where solar battery storage comes into play. Solar batteries can store energy that is generated but not used during the day for use during the night or on gloomy days when the sun isn’t shining much. 
• As solar panels can't store energy, you have to use the electricity they generate when the sun is shining. Solar batteries can be used to store excess energy, but they are expensive. 
• Solar panels are not very efficient yet.  Solar panel efficiency rates are expected to improve slowly over time, as developers make small gains each year or two. Multi-layered panels like the perovskite-silicon tandem panel have the potential to increase solar efficiency, but development is ongoing. 

Solar Energy Facts for Kids

Here are some fun and interesting facts about solar power that you probably didn’t know before!

• The Earth receives more energy from the sun in one hour than the planet uses in one year!
• Solar energy is almost 200 years old! In 1839, Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered the ‘photovoltaic effect’ which explains how electricity is generated from direct sunlight, otherwise known as solar energy.
• For solar panels to supply the world’s electrical needs, less than 1% of the land would need to be covered in solar panels.
• Wind is actually a form of solar power. It is created by the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface.
• Solar panels can work for decades. In fact, some of the panels that were installed in the 1970s are still working and generating electricity today.
• The solar cell was invented by Russell Ohl in 1941. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was the first to adopt solar technology in the 1950s, using it aboard the satellite Vanguard. 
• Solar energy can be stored in salt. Known as molten-salt technology or molten-salt energy storage (MSES), this process uses concentrated sunlight to melt salt at 131 degrees Celsius. The salt is kept in its liquid form in an insulated storage tank. The thermal energy can be usefully stored for up to a week if it is properly insulated. When electricity is required, the hot molten salt is pumped to a conventional steam generator to produce superheated steam for powering a conventional turbine/generator set, the same as those used in any coal, oil, or nuclear power plant. Most solar thermal power plants now use this technology. 
• The world’s biggest solar power plant is located in the sun-kissed plains in the Qinghai province. The Gonghe Talatan Solar Park size is enormous with a total size registering 345km2. This sprawling solar kingdom has an astounding power capacity reaching 8430 megawatts (MW).
• Weight for weight, silicon solar cells actually generate the same amount of electricity over their lifetime as nuclear fuel rods, and they are much safer.
• The amount of energy that is used to create solar panels is actually paid back through clean electricity production within one or two years, making it much cleaner than people think.

Want to Know More?

Use the search bar at the top of the page or simply give us a ring using the number at the top of this page and have a chat.