When sunlight hits your skin, the electrons in the atoms of your body vibrate quickly to generate heat. But electrons do something different in silicon. The electrons start moving around. This means that the sun\u2019s energy is conducted into an electrical current<\/u><\/a>, rather than static heat.<\/p>\n Newer, thin film solar panels function in a similar way. Rather than silicon, they\u2019re made with<\/p>\n Crystals made from these are smaller and less expensive to produce. Though, they\u2019re not quite as good at producing electricity as silicon. Thin film solar panels are used more for commercial projects, on satellites and spacecraft.<\/p>\n With either the silicon or thin film solar cells absorbing the sun\u2019s light, the electrons do their thing. They\u2019re bumped up to a higher level of energy and get active. Once that higher energy level is reached, it\u2019s up to us to capture and direct the electricity where we can use it.<\/p>\n A series of tiny wires creates a network of electrical current-conducting “mini highways” within a solar panel. These all tie back to a power inverter<\/u><\/a>. Inverters change the raw electric current from DC power to AC power. Your home is wired to conduct AC power, so inverters essentially make the electricity usable.<\/p>\n In short, no they don\u2019t. This has been one of the biggest challenges for solar developers. While it\u2019s great to generate clean electricity, days with less sun and lower production might mean you have to tap into the power grid anyway. But there are options.<\/p>\n\n
![\"Thin-Film-Solar-Cells\"](\"https:\/\/assets.solar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Thin-Film-Solar-Cells.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDo Solar Panels Store Energy?<\/h2>\n