If it came out directly as AC then there would be no need for an inverter and then you could be off the grid without batteries or a generator, right? Am I missing something? Or is it difficult to turn it to AC instead of DC?
The electrical current generated by the cells is DC and there is nothing that you can do about it except to attach an inverter if you want AC
Maybe this will help explain it:
http://tinyurl.com/32h4bbz
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#1 by dogsafire at July 25th, 2010
The electrical current generated by the cells is DC and there is nothing that you can do about it except to attach an inverter if you want AC
Maybe this will help explain it:
http://tinyurl.com/32h4bbz
References :
#2 by billrussell42 at July 26th, 2010
They don’t convert AC to DC, they generate the power as DC.
Wrong. First of all, electronics does not operate from or produce AC, it requires DC.
Second, if you somehow made a solar panel that generated AC, you would need to synchronize the voltage and frequency to each other and to the grid, which requires a lot of electronics. Having all that electronics in every solar cell would be a huge waste of money and power.
You can’t just connect together a bunch of AC generators because of the synchronization problem, but you can with DC.
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References :
#3 by Gary H at July 26th, 2010
The physics of the photo-electric effect produce a net flow of electrons, in one direction, hence, DC current. It is not difficult to convert DC to AC, that is what inverters do. It is not difficult but it is not 100% efficient either. Is it possible to design a solar cell that produces AC? Probably, anything is possible given enough time and money. Question is, how much time and how much money.
References :
#4 by civicracer49 at July 26th, 2010
also to add to what everyone else said. The DC can be charged into a rechargeable battery and be stored for later use
References :
#5 by Jon at July 26th, 2010
I think some other people have already said that the energy produced by solar panels are in the form of Direct Current (DC). I take you through a quick understanding of how it works below from our website. It isn’t difficult to produce Alternating Current (AC), but that is done through a piece of equipment called an inverter. An installer can either use a microinverter that can be connected to each solar panel directly on the roof or the entire array can be connected to a central inverter on the ground.
To illustrate how PV works, let’s follow the flow of energy through a small grid-tied residential system:
The first step in the process occurs when rays of light from the sun strike the cells within PV modules (modules are commonly called “panels”). As the light energy hits the photovoltaic cells, electrons are excited and begin to flow. Multiple cells are connected in one module, and several modules are connected together to form an array, all harnessing and summing the flow of this electric power.
The current produced in the PV modules is Direct Current (DC). However, most of the lights, appliances, and other electrical equipment in our homes operate on Alternating Current (AC). Next in the chain of energy flow is a device called an inverter, which gathers the DC produced by the array and converts it to AC which can be used in the home. The inverter regulates the AC power it outputs, so it can be safely used by even sensitive electronic devices such as televisions, computers, and audio equipment.
References :
http://www.brightstarsolar.net/about/how-solar-works/