Solar power is energy that comes from the sun. This energy is very powerful and hits the earth regardless of whether or not we take advantage of it. Even the tiny percentage of sunlight that touches the earth is plenty to meet the energy and power needs of the entire human population more than 8,500 times over. The history of solar power dates back to Leonardo Da Vinci. His sketches go back to the 15^th century showing that he had been designing techniques for harnessing solar energy.

 How Photo-voltaic Solar Panels work

 Solar panels are made up of silicon chips known as photovoltaic cells, or PV cells. PV cells are simply bigger cells than you would find in modern electronics like TVs, phones, and computers. They are created larger in order to capture sunlight for solar power. The panels are created using different types of silicon pieces. The silicon types that are used are poly-crystalline (multi-crystalline, multi-silicon, ribbon), mono-crystalline (mono-silicon or single silicon) , Thin-film (amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium).A PV cell works using a PN junction to create power. The top layer is known as the "N" layer and is so thin that sunlight can penetrate it. Underneath the N Layer is the PN junction, followed by the "P" layer. Underneath the P layer is a small piece of metal. The PN junction is a “wafer” of silicon .This is necessary to cause an electrical current between the P layer (positive layer) and the N layer (negative layer) .This electrical current occurs by electrons “flowing” between negative and positive creating an electrical charge. Wires that are connected to the cell run and connect to other cells and extend through the source that it is connected to. This can run to an inverter that will convert DC (direct current) to AC (alternating current) power and get sent to a grid to be stored for later use.