Solar technology isn’t new. Its history spans from the 7th Century B.C. to today.

We started out
concentrating the sun’s heat with glass and mirrors to light fires.

7th Century B.C. - Magnifying glass used to concentrate sun’s rays to make fire and to burn
ants

3rd Century B.C. - Greeks and Romans use burning mirrors to light torches for religious
purposes.

2nd Century B.C. - As early as 212 BC, the Greek scientist, Archimedes, used the reflective
properties of bronze shields to focus sunlight and to set fire to wooden ships from the Roman
Empire which were besieging Syracuse.

20 A.D. - Chinese document use of burning mirrors to light torches for religious purposes

1st to 4th Century A.D. - The famous Roman bathhouses in the first to fourth centuries A.D.
had large south facing windows to let in the sun’s warmth

6th Century A.D. - Sunrooms on houses and public buildings were so common that the
Justinian Code initiated “sun rights” to ensure individual access to the sun. 

1200s A.D. - Ancestors of Pueblo people called Anasazi in North America live in south-facing
cliff dwellings that capture the winter sun.

1767 Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure was credited with building the world’s first solar
collector 

1816- On September 27, 1816, Robert Stirling applied for a patent for his economiser at the
Chancery in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1839- French scientist Edmond Becquerel discovers the photovoltaic effect while
experimenting with an electrolytic cell made up of two metal electrodes placed in an
electricityconducting solution—electricity-generation increased when exposed to light

A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly
into electricity by the photovoltaic effect

The operation of a photovoltaic (PV) cell requires three basic attributes:

1. The absorption of light,

2. Generating either electron-hole pairs or
3. Excitons.

The separation of charge carriers of opposite types

The separate extraction of those carriers to an external circuit

A non-crystalline form of silicon used for solar cells and thin-film transistors in LCDs. Used
as semiconductor material for a-Si solar cells, or thinfilm silicon solar cells, it is deposited in thin
films onto a variety of flexible substrates, such as glass, metal and plastic.

Monocrystalline silicon, more often called singlecrystal silicon, in short mono c-Si or mono-Si,
is the base material for silicon-based discrete components and integrated circuits used in
virtually all modern electronic equipment. Mono-Si also serves as a photovoltaic, light-absorbing
material in the manufacture of solar cells

Polycrystalline silicon, or multicrystalline silicon, also called polysilicon, poly-Si, or mc-Si, is a

high purity, polycrystalline form of silicon, used as a raw material by the solar photovoltaic and
electronics industry.

During the lifetime of 25 years or more, PV modules are exposed to various external
stresses from various sources:

1. Temperature - physical quantity that expresses hot and cold or a measure of the
average kinetic energy of the atoms or molecules in the system
2. Mechanical stress - a measure of internal resistance exhibited by a body or material
when an external force is applied to it (for example from wind, snow and hail) 
3. Moisture originating from rain, dew and frost. 
4. Humidity originating from the atmosphere. It is the amount of water vapor in the air. 
5. Irradiance - the radiant flux received by a surface per unit area

WHAT IS SOLAR PANEL?

BASICS SOLAR PANEL COMPONENTS

1. SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS or PV cells convert sunlight directly into DC electrical

energy.

2. The FRONT GLASS SHEET protects the PV cells from the weather and impact from hail or
airborne debris. The glass is typically high strength tempered glass which is 3.0 to 4.0mm thick
and is designed resist mechanical loads and extreme temperature changes

3. The ALUMINUM FRAME plays a critical role by both protecting the edge of the laminate
section housing the cells and providing a solid structure to mount the solar panel in position

4. EVA stands for „ETHYLENE VINYL ACETATE‟ which is a specially designed polymer
highly transparent (plastic) layer used to encapsulate the cells and hold them in position during
manufacture.

5. The BACK-SHEET is the rear most layer of common solar panels which as acts as a
moisture barrier and final external skin to provide both mechanical protection and electrical
insulation.
6. The JUNCTION BOX is a small weatherproof enclosure located on the rear side of the panel.
It is needed to securely attach the cables required to interconnect the panels

HOW ARE SOLAR PANELS MADE?

1. Building the solar cells

2. Solder solar cells together to create a panel
3. Install a back sheet, front glass layer, and frame
4. Install the junction box
5. Quality testing

SOLAR MODULE CONFIGURATION

Series Solar Module:

Voltage – Increase

Current - Retains Value

Parallel Solar Module:

Voltage – Retains Value

Current – Increase

Solar Panels in Parallel of Same Characteristics: Using the same three 6 Volt, 3.0 Amp
panels as above, the total output of the panels, when connected together in parallel, the output
voltage still remains at the same value of 6 volts, but the total amperage has now increased to
9.0 Amperes (3 + 3 + 3), producing 54 watts at full sun