Solar technology has improved dramatically over the years and this is one of the reasons that people are looking to have Solar Panels installed on their roofs. This technology allows people to generate some of their own electricity from the light that is emitted from the sun. It is the photons within the light that are used to excite the electrons in the photovoltaic cells. This then produces the electrical energy that we can use in our homes and businesses.
There are two main light waves that are used by solar technology to generate energy:
Visible light – this is the light that we can see and contains the colours red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Solar panels are optimised to capture the energy of the visible light spectrum, with blue light being the highest in energy. These wavelengths can range from 400 to 700 nanometers and are the only lightwaves that we can see.
Infrared light – this is not the most efficient type of lightwave for solar panels to absorb, but some systems will capture a small amount of infrared light. This type of light is felt as heat and this can then be used to create a small amount of energy.
These are the two types of lightwave that are used in solar panels. Other lightwaves such as X Ray, gamma and ultraviolet can be used in other systems, but are not useful in creating solar powered energy from photovoltaic cells.
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