About the Photovoltaic Solar Panel

A photovoltaic solar panel is nothing more than a solar panel. For our purposes, these two terms – Photovoltaic Solar Panel and solar panel – are interchangeable. These are the square panels that you see on roofs or in the desert.

They look like this:

Often these solar panels are put next to each other or they are placed on roofs of homes.

Here is an example of PV solar panel on a roof:

Here is one more picture of interest. It is a collection of Photovoltaic Solar Panels in the desert. Together all of these solar panels produce a very significant amount of electricity.

A solar panel is made of silicon.

There are some solar panels that are made-up of polycrystalline silicon, single-crystalline silicon, and non-crystalline silicone. The non-crystalline silicone is often called either amorphous or thin-film. Though each of these types of solar panels are made a little differently, the main point to remember is that they are all made of silicon.

Every single solar panel isn’t just one solar unit. In fact, each solar panel is made-up of many solar cells. Each of the small solar cells can produce around .5 volts of electricity. The small solar cells all work together to form the voltage that’s needed. Usually the voltage is somewhere between 16 and 17 or somewhere between 32 and 34.

As you just read, each and every solar panel is made-up of silicon. Thanks to computers you’re probably heard of silicon (the “Silicon Valley”). Silicon is a very important part of solar cells.

So when you think of a solar panel think silicon solar power cells.