Solar Thermal Electricity

We can also change the sunlight directly to electricity using solar cells.

Solar cells are also called photovoltaic cells – or PV cells for short – and can be found on many small appliances, like calculators, and even on spacecraft. They were first developed in the 1950s for use on U.S. space satellites. They are made of silicon, a special type of melted sand.

When sunlight strikes the solar cell, electrons (red circles) are knocked loose.They move toward the treated front surface (dark blue color). An electron imbalance is created between the front and back. When the two surfaces are joined by a connector, like a wire, a current of electricity occurs between the negative and positive sides.

These individual solar cells are arranged together in a PV module and the modules are grouped together in an array. Some of the arrays are set on special tracking devices to follow sunlight all day long.

The electrical energy from solar cells can then be used directly. It can be used in a home for lights and appliances. It can be used in a business. Solar energy can be stored in batteries to light a roadside billboard at night. Or the energy can be stored in a battery for an emergency roadside cellular telephone when no telephone wires are around.

Some experimental cars also use PV cells. They convert sunlight directly into energy to power electric motors on the car.

But when most of us think of solar energy, we think of satellites in outer space. Here's a picture of solar panels extending out from a satellite.

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