Solar cell in Thanjavur Sri Saravanas Agencies A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic (PV) cell, is the fundamental building block of a solar panel. It's a non-mechanical device that directly converts sunlight (photons) into electricity through a process called the photovoltaic effect. Individual solar cells are then connected in series and parallel within a solar panel (module) to achieve the desired voltage and current output for a solar power system.