Ever wondered how solar panels generate electricity and turn sunlight into power for your home?
Here’s how it works, step by step.
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1. Sunlight Hits the Solar Panels
The process starts when sunlight strikes the surface of your solar panels. These panels are made up of many solar cells, usually silicon-based, designed to capture photons (light particles).
The brighter the sun, the more photons—and the more potential electricity.
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2. The Photovoltaic Effect Kicks In
Inside each solar cell are two layers of silicon. One layer has a positive charge, the other a negative one.
When sunlight hits the cell, it knocks electrons loose from the atoms in the silicon. These free electrons move between the two layers, creating a flow of electricity. This is called direct current (DC) electricity.
3. The Inverter Converts DC to AC
Your home doesn’t use DC power. It runs on alternating current (AC)—the same type you get from the grid.
So the DC electricity travels to a solar inverter, where it’s converted into AC. That’s what powers your lights, appliances, and devices.
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4. Powering Your Home—or Feeding the Grid
Once converted to AC, your solar electricity is used in your home:
- If you’re using electricity at the same time it’s being generated, it powers your home directly.
- If you’re not using it all, the excess is either stored in a battery (if you have one), or exported to the national grid.
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If you export excess energy, you get paid for it through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG).
5. Monitoring and Optimisation
Most modern systems come with a monitoring app, so you can track:
- How much energy your panels are generating
- Your household consumption
- What’s being stored or exported
This helps you optimise energy use and get the most from your system.
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Summary: What You’re Really Paying For
When you install solar panels, you’re buying into a system that:
- Captures light
- Generates DC electricity
- Converts it into usable AC
- Powers your home or feeds the grid
And it does all this quietly, cleanly, and reliably for 25+ years.
Ready to go solar?
FAQs – How Solar Panels Generate Electricity
They use the photovoltaic effect to convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity, which is then converted into AC for your home.
Mostly silicon solar cells, glass, and metal framing. The cells are the key part—they convert sunlight into electricity.
Yes, but at reduced efficiency. They still work on cloudy days, just not as well.
It’s the device that converts DC electricity from your panels into AC electricity that your home can use.
Yes—with a solar battery, you can store excess electricity and use it later.
Your system won’t generate electricity at night. You’ll use power from the grid or from a battery if you have one.
Typically 25–30 years. Some may keep generating electricity well beyond that, just at lower efficiency.
It’s a scheme where your energy supplier pays you for exporting unused solar electricity back to the grid.
Yes, though at lower output. Cold temperatures can actually improve panel efficiency, but shorter days mean less total generation.
Yes, most systems include monitoring software or apps to track generation, usage, and export.
