How can solar energy be harnessed?

Answer 1

Photovoltaic cells are made out of semiconductors- materials that partially conduct electricity. Generally, the cheapest and most used semiconductor is silicon. When the sun's rays come through the glass, the silicon absorbs a narrow range of energy from the light- this is called its' band gap. When the energy is absorbed, the electrons in the silicon become very exicted, and they gain enough energy to escape from the silicon