Once solar panels collect solar energy, where does it go/where is it stored?
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So all a solar panel does is shun electrons from one conductor to the other using the energy from photons.
An individual solar cell can normally build up about 0.5V of difference using this method, at that point the desire of the electrons to go backwards gets too strong for the panel to counteract and keep increasing the voltage.
Typically multiple cells are connected in series to get a decent voltage (e.g. 12 V), then that’s fed to either a small DC circuit (e.g. a light or something) or an alternator that transforms it to AC power which can be transformed into grid voltage.
If you connect the panel to a circuit (e.g. to charge a battery, the power grid via an alternator, etc) the electrons start flowing. If the resistance of the circuit is low enough (i.e. you’re trying to draw too much energy from the panel) the potential energy depletes quicker than the panel can build it up and the voltage immediately drops. You can solve that by reducing the load of the panels or connecting more panels in parallel.
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