Moffam Electricals

How do solar panels work to generate electricity in Kenya?

Generating an electric current is the first step of a solar panel working, but the process doesn’t end there. Here’s how solar arrays create a usable electricity system for your home:

Solar Power

Solar power converts energy from the Sun into electrical energy. One way to do this is with photovoltaic materials. These can be used to create an electric current when they’re exposed to light. This is called the photovoltaic effectPhotovoltaic cells or solar cells can do this. Manufacturers often put lots of solar cells together to make solar panels

A solar panel is made of solar cells sandwiched between layers of clear adhesive film. In front of this is a layer of glass held by a frame. Behind is a layer of aluminum called the backsheet which can conduct electricity. The electricity generated by the solar cells leaves the solar panel at the junction box.

how do solar panels work to generate electricity in kenya?

Generating an electric current is the first step of a solar panel working, but the process doesn’t end there. Here’s how solar arrays create a usable electricity system for your home:

1. Photovoltaic cells absorb the sun’s energy and convert it to DC electricity

As explained above, the solar cells that make up each solar panel do the heavy lifting when it comes to actually generating electricity. Through the photovoltaic effect, your solar panels produce an electrical current.

2. Solar inverters convert DC electricity from your solar modules to AC electricity, which is used by most home appliances

DC power is converted to AC power when it passes through your solar inverter (or inverters, if you’re using a microinverter system). Inverters can also be equipped with transformers that regulate the voltage of DC and AC currents. 

3. Electricity flows through your home, powering electronic devices

Solar inverters transfer the converted AC energy to your home’s electrical panel. From there, electricity is dispersed through your house to all of your outlets, so that when your devices need to be plugged in, there is a usable electric current available.

4. Excess electricity produced by solar panels is fed to the electric grid

If you have a grid-tied solar energy system, electricity can run both to and from the power grid, and excess energy produced by your panels can actually make you money. Through a policy known as net metering, you receive credits from the power grid when you send electricity back to it, which makes your overall cost of electricity even cheaper.

How Do Solar Panels Work?

When photons hit a solar cell, they knock electrons loose from their atoms. If conductors are attached to the positive and negative sides of a cell, it forms an electrical circuit. When electrons flow through such a circuit, they generate electricity. Multiple cells make up a solar panel, and multiple panels (modules) can be wired together to form a solar array. The more panels you can deploy, the more energy you can expect to generate.

What are Solar Panels Made of?

Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are made up of many solar cells in various types of glass packaging. Solar cells are made of silicon, like semiconductors. They are constructed with a positive layer and a negative layer, which together create an electric field, just like in a battery. SunPower solar panels are also encased with aerospace-grade conductive adhesives and proprietary encapsulants to protect these cells and minimize degradation from environmental exposure.

How Do Solar Panels Generate Electricity?

PV solar panels generate direct current (DC) electricity. With DC electricity, electrons flow in one direction around a circuit. This example shows a battery powering a light bulb. The electrons move from the negative side of the battery, through the lamp, and return to the positive side of the battery.

With AC (alternating current) electricity, electrons are pushed and pulled, periodically reversing direction, much like the cylinder of a car’s engine. Generators create AC electricity when a coil of wire is spun next to a magnet. Many different energy sources can “turn the handle” of this generator, such as gas or diesel fuel, hydroelectricity, nuclear, coal, wind, or solar.

AC electricity is used for the Australia electrical power grids that operate throughout the country and power thousands of homes. However, solar panels create DC electricity. How do we get DC electricity into the AC grid? We use an inverter

Frequently asked questions related to how solar panels work

Solar energy is the most abundant form of energy available on Earth. The sun’s energy is more than 10,000 times what the world need in terms of energy at any one time of day. It is a type of “renewable energy” or “clean energy,” which is energy derived from natural, always-available sources. Solar energy has been explored as a power source for households and businesses in recent years, and it now accounts for more than one-eighth of the energy sources used in the United States.

This 1/8th comprises energy used to grow crops, dry foods, and keep us warm, but it can now be utilized to heat your water and power your home.

There are no negative effects from the sun’s radiation with the use of renewable energy. On average, 70% of the radiation emitted by the sun is absorbed into the Earth while the other 30% is reflected back into space. However, greenhouse gasses emitted from burning fossil fuels (a non-renewable energy source) trap the sun’s radiation, causing the temperature of the Earth to rise. Earth’s average global temperature that covers the entire surface depends on how much energy we receive from the Sun and how much returns into space, and as a result of non-renewable energy, Earth has experienced an approximate 1℃ global change in temperature.

Solar radiation is captured through photovoltaic (PV) cells in solar panels where it is then converted into electric energy. Solar panels used to capture sunlight and radiation consist of 60 or more solar cells, and comes in two main types—monocrystalline or polycrystalline—with a marginal difference in wattage. Both cell types serve the same purpose for the solar system, but monocrystalline solar panel cells are made from a single crystal of silicon while polycrystalline solar panel cells are made from many melted silicon fragments. Monocrystalline panels -considered the premium of the two- have higher conversion efficiencies and are sleeker looking. Polycrystalline cells are the cheaper option, but they have slightly lower efficiencies and look less aesthetically pleasing to some.

In order for the conversion of sun radiation to electric energy through the solar panels to successfully occur there is a complex process that consists of the following elements—solar panels, PV module, wiring, inverters, etc. The PV module is the core of the solar cells, when light from the sun hits the conversion module, each cell produces direct current (DC) voltage. DC and alternating current (AC) wiring are responsible for switching the power on/off and from the inverter. The inverter is responsible for taking the DC from the solar and/or batteries and turning it into AC for use in a building or on the grid. Batteries are sometimes installed to store the electric energy chemically to be used when the sun is not hitting the panels, like during the night-time. Finally, solar controllers are used to regulate the energy current into the batteries. Solar energy is made possible through the work of each of these components.

The sun makes plants grow, causes the wind to blow, and affects the temperature across the globe. It can also power your household appliances, your cell phone, and your air conditioning. Solar can be used to:

  1. Provide electricity for homes and businesses – a solar system installed on rooftops can power the entire establishment.
  2. Heat your water – solar panels absorb heat and then transfer it into a water tank. This can be your home water or even your swimming pool.
  3. Heat your home or business – solar space heating systems paired with forced hot air systems can heat homes.
  4. Provide light within your home or business (one of the most common uses) solar lighting is present in homes, streetlights, and road signs.
  5. Charge portable batteries – portable solar PV chargers can be used for charging your portable electronics such as your cell phone.
  6. Power your method of transportation – solar power has been used to power buses, trains, and airplanes. Though not widely available, solar-powered cars are in the works. In 2015, we worked with UAH to solar power some of their golf carts.

With the potential to power your everyday necessities, solar energy has the potential to power your future.

Solar energy is not a new concept, but even just a few years ago, it could be expensive to implement and not readily available to many people. However, now, many families across the  world have converted to using solar energy as their primary source of energy. Solar energy is becoming more widely used as time progresses and prices continue to drop.

The advantages that come with using solar energy include:

  • We can’t run out of solar energy, making it a renewable source that we will always have available.
  • What you pay for energy will drop, how much depends on the size of your solar system.
  • You can generate electricity and heat, making its uses diverse.
  • Maintenance is cheap and easy. It’s as simple as cleaning the panels a few times a year.
  • Improvements are consistently being made to current solar energy systems in the industry.
  • Solar panels typically last for about 25 to 30 years, or even more.
  • Solar energy is more optimal for the environment.
  • While solar energy may cost more starting out, there are tax credits that lower the prices.

The disadvantages that come with using solar energy include:

  • The upfront or initial cost can be high—paying for the panels, inverter, batteries, wiring, and installation.
  • Solar energy is dependent on the weather, and you may need batteries to smooth out your production or save it for later.
  • Adding battery storage makes a system more expensive.
  • You may need more solar panels than you have available space.
  • There is some pollution that comes with the initial manufacturing process of the solar panels.

Everyone can benefit from the use of solar energy. You don’t have to live on a sunny beach to benefit from the energy that the sun provides for us, nor will you be without if you live in a cloudy region. As long as solar energy systems are properly manufactured and placed, the risks fall far below that of the non-renewable energy the world uses now.

Solar energy has proved to be abundant and is becoming more popular as years progress. Solar pollutes far less, is energy efficient, and saves money. There are many misconceptions about using a solar energy system that have caused people to avoid it, but with our help and determination to teach you about renewable energy, we can move past those misconceptions and implement a clean energy future.

The more solar panels you have installed, the more energy they’ll be able to generate for your home. The number of solar panels you’ll need will depend on your energy usage, the number of people in your home and the size of your property. Smaller homes might need a 1kW system, with roof space for 8+ square metres of solar panels, while higher demand can be met with a 4kW system, but that would need 25+ square metres of space on your roof

Absolutely! It’s actually radiation from the sun, rather than temperature, heat or direct sunlight, that enables solar PV panels to generate electricity.

Solar panels in hot sunny countries are bound to gather more energy, but don’t be fooled into thinking that they won’t work well in cloudy areas. They don’t need constant direct sunlight to work and can still generate electricity when the weather is cloudy. Don’t forget either that Germany is currently the world leader in solar energy generation – not exactly a country well known for its abundance of sun!

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