Have you ever stood in a sunny spot and felt warmth on your skin? Sunlight is more than brightness. It carries tiny packets of energy that can do work.
A solar panel is built from many small squares called solar cells. Inside each cell is a material called silicon, which is a kind of solid found in sand. Silicon is special because it can help move electricity when light hits it.
Here is the key idea: when sunlight reaches a solar cell, some of that light energy knocks tiny particles called electrons loose. Electrons are parts of atoms, and they can carry electric charge. When they start moving together, that moving charge is electricity.
But electrons do not automatically move in a useful direction. A solar cell is made with two thin layers that create a one-way “push” for electrons, like a gentle slope that makes a ball roll one direction. This built-in push is called an electric field, which means a force that guides electric charge.
Metal lines on the cell collect the moving electrons and send them into wires. When the electrons travel through a wire, they can power things like lights, chargers, or a fan. Then the electrons return through another path, making a complete loop called a circuit, so the flow can keep going.
The electricity coming straight from a solar panel is called direct current, or DC, which flows in one steady direction. Many homes use alternating current, or AC, which switches direction back and forth. A device called an inverter changes DC into AC so the electricity can be used by home outlets.
So a solar panel is not “storing” sunlight like a jar stores marbles. It is changing light energy into moving electrons, and guiding that movement into a helpful path. When the sun is shining, the panel is quietly turning light into electric power.