The illustration demonstrates the simple structure of a solar panel and how it generates thermal energy to heat air and water. Overall, the structure of the panel is not complex, consisting of only a few details. This structure enables the panel to utilize sunshine, which heats up either air or water.
To begin with, a solar panel is featured with a large square container with two pipes which are called an inlet on the left-hand side and an outlet on the right-hand side. An inlet can act as an entrance for air and water while an outlet can be considered as the place for an exit for transformed contents. A see-through transparent glass is put directly on top of a square box.
To generate thermal power, sunlight shines directly on a glass on the top for stimulating heat, while cool air enters the box through an inlet and is heated by the high temperature of sunlight. As a result, warm air exits along an outlet pipe. Similarly, water production by sunlight has the same mechanism as heating air. But there is a difference, which is an addition of a water pipe inside the container for navigating water flow to enter the exit pipe on the right-hand side, resulting in hot water production.