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Solar Panel Information
Solar panel is a device designed to collect and convert solar energy into electricity or store electricity using rechargeable cells.
First used in 1839 solar panels have improved a great deal since the first discovered by Antoine-Cesar Becquerel. A thesis on photoelectric effect by Albert Einstein led to a Noble Prize. Today’s solar panels used for solar garden lights are manufactured using crystalline silicon – first used in 1954.
Solar panels basic element is pure silicon, ideal for transmission of electrons. An atom of silicon contains fourteen electrons. These are arranged in 3 shells, the 2 closest to the centre are full. The remaining shell has 50% capacity with 4 electrons. The nature of silicon allows it to carry 4 electrons which space for another 4 electrons giving 8 electrons in total. It will look to fill the remaining shell. When an atom connects with another silicon atom they each receive the 4 electrons from the other atom. This forms the crystalline structure with no positive or negative charge. As a conductor of electricity silicon is poor and would not work well for solar panels, it needs impurities for other atoms to mix with silicon atoms. An atom of phosphorus has 5 electrons, it will bond with silicon atom to form 8 stable electrons but with 1 free additional electron. The additional free electron is not needed but is bonded to the phosphorous atom. This results in silicon and phosphorous being negatively charged. By adding impurities or doping the silicon is called N-type (n = negative). For the electricity within a solar lighting panel to flow a positive charge is needed. More doping with boron which has 3 electrons makes the silicon P-type (p = positive). Bombarded by photons the negative plates of silicon and phosphorus atoms will knock off the 9th electron from the outer ring. Positive boron and silicon plates will draw it into the open spot and the electron will not remain free. Photons from the sun break more electrons off and electricity will be formed within the solar lights panels. The electrons move around solar lighting panels creating an electrical current. By making a silicon and boron plate sandwich and adding wires for conducting electricity solar panels are formed. The conductive wires draw free electrons from the plates to produce electricity via the solar lights panels.
To help attract more photons the solar garden panels are coated to reduce reflection. Glass or a polymer is added to the solar lighting panels to increase protection. To increase the amount of electricity generated the solar garden panels can be linked together. For mobile application solar panels will be connected to one or more rechargeable cells. During the daytime the sun's photons will hit the solar garden panels to generate electricity, this is stored within the rechargeable cells and released at night. A typical use for solar garden panels will be solar garden wall lights
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