Introduction to Solar Photovoltaic Panels

Solar photovoltaic panels are devices that can directly convert the radiant energy of sunlight into electrical energy.

Structurally speaking, it is mainly composed of photovoltaic cells, glass cover plates, back plates, frames and packaging materials, etc. Among them, photovoltaic cells are the core components, and the common ones include monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon cells. Monocrystalline silicon cells have the highest conversion efficiency, reaching around 20%, but their cost is also relatively high. The efficiency of polycrystalline silicon cells is slightly lower, approximately 15-18%, but the cost is relatively affordable. Amorphous silicon cells have the lowest efficiency, below 10%, but they can be made flexible and applied in some special curved surface scenarios.

In terms of working principle, when sunlight shines on photovoltaic cells, photons will excite the electrons in the cells, causing them to move in a specific direction and thus forming an electric current. This process is based on the photoelectric effect of semiconductors.

It has many advantages. First of all, it is environmentally friendly. Almost no greenhouse gas emissions are produced during the power generation process. Secondly, it is renewable. As long as there is the sun, it can continuously generate electricity. In addition, the installation locations of solar photovoltaic panels are quite flexible, such as on rooftops, open Spaces, and even on water surfaces. Moreover, they have a relatively long service life, usually reaching 20 to 30 years.

In terms of application, apart from being used in delivery vehicles and yachts as mentioned earlier, it is also widely applied in household power generation, large-scale solar power stations to provide electricity for cities, and in off-grid power supply systems in some remote areas to solve the electricity problems there.