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Solar panels can provide a spacecraft with energy by converting sunlight into electricity. It is composed of many solar cells, spread over a large area, that work together to convert the light from the sun into valuable energy for the spacecraft. The more light that reaches the cells, the more electricity they can produce. Solar panels can rotate around a spacecraft to keep in line with the light from the sun.
Solar cells are small semiconductors that are attached by wire to a circuit. Light is converted into electricity that flows through the circuit when light stricks the semiconductor. So, solar cells stop generating power when there is no light.
Spacecraft usually use solar panels as their main power source not only because the sun provides light constantly, but also because they wear out very slowly compared to other power sources. They generally only lose a few percent of their effectiveness a year, as long as they are still close to the sun.
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