Solar Cells or Photovoltaic Energy

We can also change the solar light directly to electricity using solar cells. Solar cells are also called photovoltaic cells - or PV cells for short - and can be found on many small appliances, like calculators, and even on spacecraft. They were first developed in the 1950s for use on U.S. space satellites. Solar cells are made of silicon, a special type of melted sand. When solar light strikes the solar cell, electrons are knocked loose. They move toward the treated front surface. An electron imbalance is created between the front and back. When the two surfaces are joined by a connector, like a wire, a current of electricity occurs between the negative and positive sides. These individual solar cells are arranged together in a PV module and the modules are grouped together in an array.
Some of the arrays are set on special tracking devices to follow solar light all day long. The electrical energy from solar cells can then be used directly for enhanced uses. It can be used in a home for solar lights and appliances. It has great uses in business. Solar energy can be stored in batteries to light a roadside billboard at night. Or the energy can be stored in a battery for an emergency roadside cellular telephone when no telephone wires are around. Some experimental cars also use Photovoltaic cells. They convert solar light directly into energy to power electric motors on the car. But when most of us think of solar energy, we think of satellites in outer space which have large solar panels to utilize solar energy.