Solar Panels capture the sun's energy and convert it into electricity. A typical Solar Panel is made up of individual solar cells, which are up of layers of silicon, boron, and phosphorus. The boron layer provides the positive charge, the phosphorus layer provides the negative charge, and the wafers act as semiconductors. When photons from the sun hit the surface of the panel, they knock electrons free from the silicon and into the field generated by the solar cell. This creates a directional current that can then be converted into usable power. The whole process is known as the photovoltaic effect A standard solar panel has 36, 60, 72, or 90 individual solar cells.
