Energy Experts: How do Solar Panels work?

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - CEO of Renewable Power USA Jimmy Esparza joined us in studio this week to talk about how Solar Panels function.

We asked him what exactly are solar panels?

"I don't know if you remember when we would go back to the calculators that had like a little cell that you had in order for you to turn them on, you had to be like in some light exposure so the same concept is the different is, you know, this little cell now is on the roof, you know, so you'll be able to actually power your home through the cells that are obviously that are a little bit bigger. right. and then the old traditional way of actually producing power through a calculator. but what this does, it creates it harness the sun and then it sends electricity directly to the home" says Esparza.

So how do solar panels work?

"So solar what we do they're installed usually in the in the roof. So whenever the sun comes out, you know, the solar store, solar equipment, what they have, they have little cells inside of them. So whenever they're exposed to the sun, the cells start to to move and start to actually produce power that's going to be sent out to the home, you know, so whenever that happens, there is also another equipment which is called a inverter, which is kind of like the brain in a cd, it captures the electricity and then distributed it to the home. And whatever you're overproducing, it sends it out to the regulatory, you know, where they store it and battery, you know, if it's more than what the home needs. so it's pretty much, you know, just like, you know, like a power plant, a mini power plant in the home" says Esparza.

What advancements are being made in Solar Technology?

"There are a lot of advancements. I think one of the biggest ones is that the cells, the solar cells itself, they are becoming more efficient. and so what that means is that you don't have to add a lot of solar panels to the roof, like one individual panel is producing more than two panels used to create, right?"

"You need a little bit less space, but you're producing more per panel. and then also the equipment, the inverters are becoming a little bit smaller. so it doesn't take a lot of the space, you know, in the home. also, the batteries where you get to store the power like it's not as, you know, massive. they used to be like like a floor, kind of like computers.

"Before cell phones, they used to be like this big blocks, you know, and then and then it came up to have, like, some tiny phones. and now they're back, you know, kind of to a midsize. so that's kind of some of the changes and evolution that we've been seeing in solar power. I used to think like the more solar panels you have in there, the more you're getting, you're attracting more energy into your home."

What advancements are being made in Solar technology?

"There are a lot of advancements. I think one of the biggest ones is that the cells, the solar cells itself, they are becoming more efficient. and so what that means is that you don't have to add a lot of solar panels to the roof, like one individual panel is producing more than two panels used to create, right? So you need a little bit less space, but you're producing more per panel. and then also the equipment, the inverters are becoming a little bit smaller. so it doesn't take a lot of the space, you know, in the home. Also, the batteries where you get to store the power like it's not as, you know, massive. they used to be like like a floor, kind of like computers. Right. Like before cell phones. They used to be like this big blocks, you know, and then and then it came up to have, like, some tiny phones. and now they're back, you know, kind of to a midsize. so that's kind of some of the changes and evolution that we've been seeing in solar power. oh, wow. I used to think like the more solar panels you have in there, the more you're getting, you're attracting more energy into your home."

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