We’ve all seen solar panels and solar cells powering devices from calculators to call boxes and wheelchairs. It was in the late 70’s when the first solar powered calculators came out and back then, these devices almost seemed magical, as they worked even without batteries! While solar technology has been around for decades now, many of us continue to wonder how exactly solar panels work. All we know is that when there’s sufficient light, these solar-powered devices can be used. How do solar panels work? There are two types of solar panels. One type is used for heating oil or water, while the other is for generating electricity; the mechanism for these two differs. Solar panels for heating water or oil make use of coils, thermal collectors and plastic piping, as the sun works to heat up the fluid that pass through the coils. A popular brand for these solar [...] Read more »