How do solar panels work? - Richard Komp
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-solar-panels-work-richard-komp The Earth intercepts a lot of solar power: 173000 terawatts. That's 10000 times more power than the planet'...
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The Earth intercepts a lot of solar power:173 thousand terawatts.That's ten thousand times more power than the planet's population uses.So is it possible that one daythe world could be completely reliant on solar energy?To answer that question,we first need to examine how solar panels convert solar energy to electrical energy.Solar panels are made up of smaller units called solar cells.The most common solar cells are made from silicon,a semiconductor that is the second most abundant element on Earth.In a solar cell,crystalline silicon is sandwiched between conductive layers.Each silicon atom is connected to its neighbors by four strong bonds,which keep the electrons in place so no current can flow.Here's the key:a silicon solar cell uses two di...
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The Earth intercepts a lot of solar power:173 thousand terawatts.That's ten thousand times more power than the planet's population uses.So is it possible that one daythe world could be completely reliant on solar energy?To answer that question,we first need to examine how solar panels convert solar energy to electrical energy.Solar panels are made up of smaller units called solar cells.The most common solar cells are made from silicon,a semiconductor that is the second most abundant element on Earth.In a solar cell,crystalline silicon is sandwiched between conductive layers.Each silicon atom is connected to its neighbors by four strong bonds,which keep the electrons in place so no current can flow.Here's the key:a silicon solar cell uses two di...
