What is a Solar Panel?

Series Summary

A solar panel is a combination of silicon, glass and aluminum precision components made in a factory. A solar panel is able to take the photons coming from the sun and change them directly into electricity. This energy can be used any way that electricity is used. There are many different kinds of solar panels. They are all designed for different applications. In this free video series, learn how to install solar panels in a home. To actually get a solar energy system installed it must be mounted on the roof, which requires some rails and special mounting clips. It will also be powering up one or more types of inverters. A solar energy system uses a charge controller. It also has various sizes of wire to make the system work, as well as some fuses and different styles of batteries. The balance of system, or BOS, depends on what size solar energy system is being installed. A full grid tie system uses a lot more different parts than a small battery powered system. A small battery powered system uses some very large cables, while a grid tied system does not.

Video Transcript

"Well, today we are installing a small solar system on my personal residence. And we are going talk a little bit about what a solar panel is. This is of course a solar panel. A combination of silicon glass and aluminum. Precision components made in a factory. And able to take the photons coming from the sun and change it directly into electricity. Which then can be used any way we use electricity. So with our solar panel, there's lots of different kinds of solar panels and they are all designed for a little bit different applications. This one made by Shell, a local company, is rated at140 watts at 42 volts and we are potentially putting out 4.25 amps. So with your ohm's law you can actually multiply 4.25 amps times your 42 volts and get the potential for this solar panel which is rated at a 140 watts DC. And on this Shell panel we have a junction box on the back with the wires already mounted. These will carry the DC current away from the solar panel and down into our charge control."