In solar thermal however it uses the sunlight to boil a fluid.
Differences between solar panels and photovoltaic.
Photovoltaic pv solar panels on the other hand are completely different from csp.
Here the basic unit of light the photon strikes a surface of a specially made material that causes the release of an electron.
A solar pv panel works in a way that allows light particles or photons to heat electrons from atoms which in turn generates a flow of electrical power.
There are different types including those grown in a lab silicone and glass.
While a single photovoltaic cell is able to convert sunlight into electricity on its own the panel is essential to combine and direct the energy output of numerous cells to your inverter and home.
Photovoltaic cells are the main component that makes up a solar panel while solar panels are a vital component that makes up a solar system.
The main difference between the two solar pv and solar thermal is on their operating principles.
Unlike csp which uses the sun s energy pv solar panels make use of the sun s light instead.
In other words photovoltaics is the direct conversion of light into electricity.
Solar panels consist of smaller units which we also refer to as photovoltaic cells.
It only generates electricity when it is sunny when the energy source is available.
Solar thermal electricity ste and photovoltaics pv are different technologies.