Solar Energy and the Electrical Circuit
Solar energy when generated through solar panels comes out in the form of electricity. If you’re interested in solar energy and getting your own solar electric system, a rudimentary knowledge of electricity and some of its terminology would stand you in good stead.
With that in mind, let’s delve into the world of electricity and solar energy and the electrical circuit in particular, providing a definition and example of an electrical circuit.
What’s An Electrical Circuit?
An electrical circuit is made up of electrons that flow from a source of voltage, such as a battery or photovoltaic module, through a conductor (wire) to a load (for example, a light bulb) and back to the source. The term circuit indicates something that goes around in a full circle. Using a flashlight as an example, when the flashlight is turned on, electrons are released from the battery and they move to the bulb, causing it to light, and from there back to the battery, completing the circuit.
You may think that once the electrons reach the bulb, they’re done, but that’s not the case, since that wouldn’t be a complete circuit because the electrons haven’t flowed back to where they originated, in this case, the battery.
The Ultimate Circuit
We all carry around with us one of the best examples of a circuit in action – the blood in our veins. The blood starts out at the heart, which acts like a battery or generator that pumps the blood throughout our body and back into the heart, forming a complete circuit, providing the power we need to activate and oxygenate our bodies, with our blood being the equivalent of the electrons in an electrical circuit.
The Light Goes On
Going back to our flashlight example, the switch controls the continuity of current flow. If the switch is turned off (an open circuit), the wire between the source and the load (in this case, the light bulb) is disconnected, and the light will be off. If the switch is turned on (a closed circuit), the wire between source and load is connected, and, provided there is energy stored in the battery, the bulb will light up.
No electrons are harmed – or even lost – in this process! Believe it or not, when the electrons reach the flashlight bulb, they do their work and activate the bulb, and then move on back to the battery, so that the number of electrons in the circuit remains constant while the circuit is closed.
Think Of A Water Pump
An electrical system can he compared to a water pumping system. A pump lifts two gallons of water per minute from a lower tank to an upper tank, increasing its height and pressure by 12 feet, the distance between the two tanks. The pressure created by the 12-foot height of the upper tank is like the 12-volt electrical pressure in a battery. The water falls at two gallons per minute from the upper rank and turns a water wheel, losing its height and pressure as it returns to the lower tank. The filling of water at two gallons per minute to turn the water wheel is like the two amp flow of electrons that powers the light and returns to the battery.
Next time you turn on a light in your home or office, you’ll now know just how much is going on behind the scenes as those hard-working electrons do their job, whether coming from your PV system or the utility grid.
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