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Solar Energy: A Bright Future

Audience: High School Students


Fun Fact: Solar is the planet’s most abundant energy source. Photo by American Public Power Association from Unsplash.


Teaching, or explaining concepts to others, is one of the best ways to learn. To be able to teach, you must first possess a high level of understanding about the subject. Sometimes, we have preconceived notions or vague ideas about topics; yet, these topics seem so simple that we are sure we understand them. However, when asked to teach, our half-baked logic falls apart. Such was the case when someone asked me if I knew how solar panels work. “Of course,” I answered confidently. “You see them everywhere. They take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity”. At that moment, it struck me that this was a very weak, nonspecific answer; I’d fallen into the trap of thinking that something so common and widespread was easily defined. Solar panels are beautiful, complex devices. They perform the incredible feat of energy conversion. But the question remains: how do they really work?


Solar panels are like opera cakes, stacked high with symmetrical layers. The first layer is an aluminum frame, designed to provide structural strength. The second layer is solar glass. Ethylene vinyl acetate and the back sheet provide protection and insulation. The junction box is located at the back of the panel and has cables that connect the panels. However, the most important layer of a solar panel is the photovoltaic or solar cell. This is the main hub where all of the power and electricity is generated. Solar panels are composed of thousands of miniature PV cells, all strung together to convert sunlight and artificial light into electricity. They do this by absorbing photons, or particles of solar energy. PV cells are made of semiconductor materials, which have a conductivity between metals and non-conductors – typically silicon, in the case of a solar panel. The material absorbs the photons and provides energy that is then used to generate electricity. The atoms discharge electrons after an adequate amount of energy has been absorbed. The PV cell is specially designed so that electrons move toward the front side of the cell, creating an imbalance of electrical charge between the different sides of the cell. The imbalance creates voltage potential. The effect can be likened to the way the imbalance between a battery’s negative and positive sides creates electricity. 


Evidently, one of the key ideas that help to run solar panels is the photoelectric effect. It plays an important part in using semiconductors to convert sunlight to electricity. It was discovered in 1887 by physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, but in 1905, theoretical physicist Albert Einstein famously won the Nobel Prize for explaining the effect. Almost fifty years later, the Bell Telephone company used this idea and their own innovation to develop the first solar panel, powering US space satellites. The panels became more advanced over time, and by the 2000s, most PV systems in the US were connected to electric power grids. Now, they are installed almost everywhere, from homes to buildings and power plants. They generate 3.9% of the total energy and about 18% of renewable energy in the US. While the percentages may not seem outstanding compared to hydropower or wind energy, the solar industry is growing fast. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), “In 2023, solar PV alone accounted for three-quarters of renewable capacity additions worldwide.”


While it is true that solar is a fast-growing, beneficial source of renewable energy, it has its fair share of disadvantages. Solar panels generally have low efficiency – commercial panels are still only 15-20% efficient. Due to popular demand, they’re getting cheaper, but it’s still extremely expensive – power storage batteries can cost upwards of 5,000 USD. They are also quite dependent on the weather, since they require sunlight to produce electricity. Due to the varying amount of sunlight each day, the energy produced is also inconsistent. Additionally, power plants themselves can harm the environment. This seems ironic, since solar energy is designed to save the environment from climate change. However, power plants require many acres of space. On top of this,  the glass, heavy metals, and hazardous chemicals that are used to build PV cells/panels are not always disposed of and  managed responsibly. 


That said, there are obviously numerous benefits that come from using solar energy. It’s renewable and clean. Solar energy produces minimal greenhouse emissions, even with manufacturing components. Obviously, the resource necessary to produce solar energy is very abundant – there is tons of excess sunlight available. There is sunlight most places, so panels can function in many climates. There is increasing affordability, and a huge return on investment. Panels increase home value, and homeowners don’t need to rely on backup power from the grid, meaning that they are completely unaffected by disruptions in power. Panels are also improving in  efficiency. In fact, using STEPS (Stated Policies Scenario, which is designed to show the direction of energy system progression) the IEA stated that “setting new records for deployment each year through to 2030 in the STEPS, solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity grows by an average of 12% per year to 2030.”


The price of solar panels is decreasing automatically as interest in the solar market increases, but the efficiency is rising slowly with the new advancements in the field. A few potential advancements show promise and are currently being explored. One such improvement is thin-film solar cells. While the traditional solar cell is made of silicon crystalline wafer modules, thin-film cells are made of thinner materials, as the name suggests. They require less material and are far more economical. However, they are less efficient. In contrast, transparent solar cells (TSC) are more efficient than current solar cells. They increase efficiency by increasing transparency: the many layers of current cells reduce transparency significantly. Semi-transparent solar cells don’t necessarily increase efficiency, but they do increase availability. They are the most fantastical advancement currently emerging: the premise being their use of regular house and building windows as solar panels. Nevertheless, their addition to solar panels would no doubt create a lot of improvement, just like all of the other enhancements listed.


It’s clear by this point that solar panels will be important in the future. They will continue to be a main player in the game of renewable energy, and they will spread far and wide. They save money and resources, and they don’t exacerbate climate change. We can’t afford to use nonrenewable sources of energy. Our planet is suffering, and we need to do something about it, in any way we can. One way you can help is by carefully considering everything you’ve learned in this article. Actively assist in the spread of solar panels. Use nonrenewable energy, and incorporate it into your daily lifestyle. You’ll be making a difference. Every positive action, no matter how small, counts.


Bibliography:

Chandra, Nishi. “What Are the Main Components of a Solar Panel?” LOOM SOLAR, 23 June 2021, 


Durganjali, C Santhi, et al. “Recent Developments and Future Advancements in Solar Panels Technology.” Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 1495, Mar. 2020, p. 012018, https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1495/1/012018.


IEA. “Solar PV.” International Energy Agency, 2023, www.iea.org/energy-system/renewables/solar-pv. Accessed 20 July 2024.

Igini, Martina. “What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy?” Earth.org, 1 May 2023, 


Minos, Scott. “5 Benefits of Residential Solar.” Energy.gov, 13 Feb. 2023, www.energy.gov/energysaver/articles/5-benefits-residential-solar. Accessed 20 July 2024.


MIT Energy Initiative. “The Future of Solar Energy”. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015,


“Solar.” Energy.gov, 

www.energy.gov/solar. Accessed 20 July 2024.

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