Photovoltaic Solar Power Explained

Photovoltaic energy, in it's simplest sense, is electricity that is generated solely from sunlight. Photons zip away from the sun at 186,000 miles per second and reach the semiconductors in your photovoltaic solar panels in Manhattan Beach in about 8 seconds! The semiconductors, or solar cells, in these panels are mostly made up of crystalline silicon-hence their blue color.

These solar cells then transfer this pv solar power through a wire and into a circuit. The circuit then uses that energy to power the appliances in your home or office, in the same way one from the city power grid would.

A typical panel that utilizes solar for you home, generates anywhere from 15%-25% efficiency, depending on the lay out of the semiconductors and the amount of sunlight hitting it. This may not seem like a high percentage, but the number is pretty big when considering that our sun bestows a whopping 12.2 trillion watt-hours per square mile per year! That's A LOT of renewable energy!!