Solar Power Plants (PLTS) Explained: How Solar Panels Work
Learn what a solar power plant (PLTS) is, why it stores DC power in batteries, and how solar cells turn sunlight into electricity for everyday use.
Solar panels are becoming a common way to generate electricity, both in modern communities and in areas where PLN, Indonesia's state electricity company, does not reach well. The system is likely to spread further, since the way solar panels work relies on renewable energy.
The Solar Power Plant
A solar power plant, usually abbreviated as PLTS (Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Surya), is a power generation system that uses sunlight as its fuel and converts it into electricity. The electricity it produces is actually direct current (DC), which is easy to store because the current flows in one direction.
The electricity generated by the panels can be stored in batteries before it is used, so a PLTS can still meet power needs after dark or in rainy weather. When needed, the DC power is converted into the alternating current (AC) that homes normally use.
Most household electricity is AC because this type is relatively easy to transmit. PLN also delivers electricity to residents as AC. That is why a PLTS can convert DC into AC, so the power it produces can be used in everyday life.
How a PLTS Works
The idea behind a solar panel is very simple: it turns solar energy into electrical energy. Solar cells do the work of supplying power from sunlight, and they can produce electricity from the sun's energy in unlimited quantities.
These solar cells are mounted in the solar panel. When the panel is exposed to sunlight, the cells start working and convert the energy they receive into electricity. Because a solar cell system needs no fuel other than sunlight, a renewable source of energy, it is considered environmentally friendly.
A solar panel needs a series of solar cells to do its job and produce a useful amount of electricity. The cells can be connected in series or in parallel, depending on the size and capacity the user needs. The materials of a solar cell include protective glass and a transparent adhesive layer.
The transparent adhesive protects the cell materials from environmental conditions. There is also an anti-reflective layer, which absorbs more light and reduces the light that bounces off. Then come the p-type and n-type semiconductors, which create an electric field, along with the front and back contacts.
All of these materials work together as the solar panel's working mechanism, which is very similar to that of a semiconductor diode. Light that reaches the cell is absorbed by the semiconductor material, and electrons are released. In the electric field, the negative and positive charges attract each other, and electrical energy is produced.
The way a solar panel works may be hard for a layperson to grasp, but in practice it is quite simple. It does not take long before you can use the electricity a PLTS produces. To use this system, you can contact sunenergy.id, which offers complete solar panel solutions.
