Solar panels are a type of solar power that is active. They are used to harvest sunlight and then convert it into electricity. There are solar cells on the upper surface of the panels and they usually have grid-like patterns. The cells collect sunlight in the day and then change it to electricity.
The panels are usually made of crystalline silicon and gallium arsenide. More advanced panels are made from amorphous silicon alloys. These panels tend to be more durable and efficient compared to the ones made of crystalline. Solar panels have different cell blocks and each one of them has several solar cells. Each cell makes its own electricity and then joins the electric current from the rest of the cells. The current then goes through the inverter and this is how you get light in your bulbs or power for your electrical appliances.
The cells usually have a semi-conductor material and in most cases, this material is silicon. Sunlight is absorbed into the cells and this creates heat. The heat that is created frees the electrons in the semi-conductor and this is how the electric current is formed.
The electricity that is formed by one solar cell is very little but when it is joined with the electricity made by the rest of the cells in the solar panel, the charge is notable. This means that if several solar panels are combined, they will be able to power an entire house.
For solar panels to be able to absorb the required energy and store it, you need a sunny location. The panels harvest more energy during a cloud free day but they can also store energy when it is cloudy but that energy is limited. When it is cloud free, the solar panels harvest the energy through beam radiation and during a cloudy day, diffuse radiation method is used to get energy.
Solar panels do not STORE energy. A box by the meter CONVERTS the energy from DC that the panels collect, to AC that needs to be pushed back into the electrical grid.