Solar cells belong in the desert.
The longest electrical wire ever begins in a solar cell. When energy-rich particles of sunlight, called photons, hit the surface of the cell, electrons move, generating electricity.
This is possible because the cell is made up of three layers of silicon crystals. The top layer contains a little phosphorus which allows the negatively charged electrons to move easily, the middle layer is pure crystal and the bottom layer contains boron which is difficult for electrons to pass through.
When photons hit a solar cell, they knock out the loose electrons in the middle layer, while the positively charged ions, the “holes,” move to the bottom layer. The electrons want to go to the holes, but they can’t get through the middle layer. So, they pass through a wire to the bottom layer, creating a circuit that can be used for electricity.
The brighter the light and the more hours a solar cell is illuminated each day, the more energy it produces. That’s why SunCable, the company behind the Australia-Asia power line, has set its sights on the Barkly area in Australia’s Northern Territory. The desert region offers long hours of intense sunlight and plenty of space for solar panels.
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