What is the Difference Between Solar Panels and Photovoltaic Cells?
Are you confused about the difference between solar panels and photovoltaic cells? Despite being often used interchangeably, solar panels and cells are two very different parts of your solar PV system . To find out the difference between the two, and how to use the terms correctly, read on. The Role of Photovoltaic Cells To begin, we’ll first examine the role of photovoltaic cells in your solar PV system. Your solar cells produce electricity via the photovoltaic effect, where sunlight creates electricity in certain materials by knocking their outer electrons loose. Without getting too technical, photovoltaic cells can be made from either monocrystalline or polycrystalline material, and consist of several layers, the most important of which are the two semiconductors in the centre. The top semiconductor is a negative layer, as the material’s atoms contain extra electrons, which carry a negative charge. In contrast, the bottom semiconductor is a positive layer, as...