 You’ve probably used a solar-powered calculator. Photovoltaic cells in the calculator absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity. Photovoltaic cells are made of semiconductors, or materials that can conduct electricity moderately well and are used in many electronic devices. When units of light, called photons, hit a semiconductor, they knock out some of its electrons. Electrons are negatively-charged particles inside atoms, the smallest building blocks of matter. The freed-up electrons race across the semiconductor, creating an electric current. When many photovoltaic cells are arranged together on a solar panel, they can gather enough sunlight – and create enough electrical current – to power cars or buildings. Many homes and business are powered by sunlight, using energy systems from Shell. Solar power is also an available source of energy for people who live in rural areas far from access to electricity. Shell has supplied solar systems to more than 20,000 rural homes in the country of Sri Lanka.
Today, Shell is in the process of developing newer devices for harnessing the sun’s energy. Shell scientists and engineers are working together to create the next generation of solar panels, which will transport solar power from the present into the future.
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