Solar Panels (aka photovoltaic panels) are the main and most visible component of a solar electric system. These are the ones you see mounted to rooftops, on the ground, etc. Each panel (or module) contains many cells that produce the electricity. Those panels are then mounted together, to form a solar array.

Cells in a solar panel contain a thin sheet of semiconductor material, such as silicon or other materials. When photons of sunlight hit that thin sheet, it releases electrons, which as channeled and collected as electricity.