Question

In a solar panel, the metal used is.
A.Gold
B.Nickel
C.Silver
D.Copper

Answer 1

Hint: Since this process happens in direct sunlight, it is given that the temperature of the entire apparatus is bound to rise during this process. Hence, while choosing a metal for a solar polar, we must ensure that the metal has a high thermal conductivity as well as a high electrical conductivity.

Complete step by step answer:
Solar panels are used to generate renewable energy from the rays of the sun. The way a solar panel works is as follows:
First the sunlight reaches the surface of the solar panel. Now, whenever a ray or a beam reaches a surface, either one of these 3 or a combination of these scenarios will occur: reflection, absorption, and transmission. Reflection happens when the incident ray moves back to the same medium it came from, at an angle on the surface of the second medium. Absorption takes place when these rays get absorbed by the medium that they are made incident on. And finally, transmission happens when the incident ray does not interact with the given body at all, and passes straight through it.
Now once these sun rays are made incident on the solar panel, it activates the photo – voltaic cells in the solar panel. These photos – voltaic cells interact with this sunlight to generate electricity from the photons in this sunlight.
From the options given to us, the metal with the highest thermal and electrical conductivity is silver.
Hence, silver is used in solar panels.

Hence, Option C is the correct option.

Note:
An untreated silicon solar cell only absorbs 67.4 percent of sunlight shone upon it. This means that nearly one-third of that sunlight is reflected away and thus un-harvestable.