How Solar Works

Solar electricity works in much the same way as a solar-powered calculator, converting light into energy. Solar panels, which are made from thin layers of silicon (a semiconductor material capable of absorbing the sun’s rays), are placed on the roof of your home or professional building. These panels convert the absorbed light into electricity, which is fed into your circuit breaker panel through a photovoltaic inverter. Your home or business will run on this electricity with no interruption in service, and no waste of electricity.

Of course, your electricity needs will be met day and night, rain or shine. And with net metering, it will be done without storage batteries. That’s because your home or office will be connected to the utility grid, essentially selling power to the electric company when you have excess, and buying it back when you need it. The result is the elimination of paying for electricity, and actually seeing your meter run backwards!

One of our industry associations, the Solar Power Authority, has an expanded explanation of how Solar PV electric power works linked here.