The sun contains such a vast amount of energy, our brains simply cannot imagine it. If our earth came in contact with the sun, our world might disappear. Fortunately, though, we are just the right distance away to live and thrive. We already tap into solar power using panels during daytime. But now batteries are stretching solar power into the night.
How Photovoltaic Panels Capture Solar Power
The rays of the sun contain heat, and the tiny packets of energy scientists call photons. Our forebears captured the heat, by reflecting it off shiny objects millennia ago. Later, in the 3rd Century BC, priests lit torches the same way during religious ceremonies.
In 1839, French physicist Edmond Becquerel built the first solar cell when he was nineteen years young. He coated the electrodes of a primitive battery with silver chloride, or silver bromide. This cell produced more electricity when he exposed it to sunlight.
Nothing much more happened until 1954, when Bell Labs physicists developed the world’s first silicon photovoltaic cell. This captured the sun’s energy, and converted it to electricity. They could never have imagined the giant battery farms, stretching solar power into the night nowadays.
Solar Panels Stretch the Sun’s Energy at Night
Solar panels use a semiconductor material such as silicon, in a metal frame with a glass cover. When photons of energy reach that silicon, this releases electrons. These produce an electric charge in the form of direct current.
We can produce sufficient electricity to power our home, if we have enough solar panels. Although we would first have to convert this electricity into alternating power our appliances use. But we would have to store this energy in a battery somewhere, if we wanted electricity after sunset.
And that, in a few words, is how battery farms are stretching solar power into the night, on a much larger scale. Right now batteries only last a few hours before they run down. But we hope this is a temporary setback, and that our scientists will come up with a solution soon.
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