How a Solar Battery Works
The Basics
A solar battery is a battery that draws energy from the sun. For as long as these batteries (by way of an attached solar panel) are exposed to the sun they are drawing energy and storing some away for periods where the sun is not present. A solar battery can be used to power small devices like calculators all the way up to entire homes if the batteries are large enough. After the initial cost of purchasing the battery (which can vary by thousands of dollars depending on the size of the battery) solar energy is considered a cheap, clean and efficient way to power everyday devices.
Solar Panel
A solar battery is made up of cells. Each cell can hold a specific amount of energy depending on the size of the battery. These cells are attached to semiconductors which are attached to solar panels. As light hits a solar panel, a certain portion of that light's energy is absorbed by the panel and processed into the semiconductor. The semiconductor sends it to the cell for either storage if the device being powered by the battery is off or for powering the device if it is on. The semiconductor material inside a solar battery is typically made of silicon. These solar cell batteries operate much the same way a standard laptop battery does with the exception being that they draw their energy from the sun as opposed to an electrical outlet in your home.
Energy
Once light is absorbed by the solar panels and transferred into the semiconductor electrons inside the semiconductor, they begin to vibrate and flow in a certain direction. The movement of these electrons is actually what generates the electricity used by the battery to power devices. The movement of the electrons acts as an electrical current. Metal contacts similar to those found on a standard electrical plug can transfer the current generated by the electrons to whatever devices it is powering. Smaller solar batteries are either built-in to devices like calculators or can only generate enough power to operate small devices one at a time. Larger solar batteries, once fully charged, can generate enough electricity to power a home for a day or two.
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