A solar panel is constructed using individual solar cells, and solar cells are made from layers of silicon semiconductor materials. One layer of silicon is treated with a substance to create an excess of electrons. This becomes the negative or N-t. A solar panel is constructed using individual solar cells, and solar cells are made from layers of silicon semiconductor materials. One layer of silicon is treated with a substance to create an excess of electrons. This becomes the negative or N-type layer. The other layer is treated to create a deficiency of electrons, and becomes the positive or. When assembled together with conductors, this silicon arrangement becomes a light-sensitive PN-junction semiconductor. In fact photovoltaic solar cells or PVs as they are more commonly called, are no more than big, flat photo sensitive diodes.Photovoltaic solar cells convert the photon light around the PN-junction directly into electricity without any moving or mechanical parts. PV cells produce energy from sunlight, not from heat. In fact, they are most efficient when they are cold!. The two diodes coloured red are referred to as the blocking diodes, one in series with each series bran. When exposed to sunlight (or other intense light source), the voltage produced by a single solar cell is about 0.58 volts DC, with the current flow (amps) being proportional to the light energy (photons). In most photovoltaic cells, the voltage is nearly constant, and the current is proportional to the size of the cell and the intensity of the ligh. When sunlight shines on a photovoltaic cell, photons of light strike the surface of the semiconductor material and liberate electrons from their atomic bonds. During manufacture certain doping chemicals are added to the semiconductors composition to help to establish a path for the freed electrons. These paths creates a flow of electrons forming an.