solar electricity factsheet = ebook

It is the generation of electricity from the power of the sun, via photovoltaic (pv) cells. It is different from solar water heating, where water passes through panels to be heated directly, and no electricity is generated. Photovoltaic cells are made from silicon; when particles of sunlight (photons) fall on the cells, they dislodge the outer electrons of their atoms, and push them along to the next atom; a chain of moving electrons is produced, and if a wire is attached to the panels, these electrons can be pushed down it to supply a useable electric current. This current is measured in amps, and to give some idea of the scale involved, one amp of current involves the movement of 6 million million million electrons per second