solar panel

American

noun

a bank of solar cells.

solar panel British

noun

a panel exposed to radiation from the sun, used to heat water or, when mounted with solar cells, to produce electricity direct, esp for powering instruments in satellites

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

China controls over 80% of global solar panel manufacturing, posing supply chain risks for U.S. tech giants like Tesla and Google.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

Keith Wright, from Buckland Newton, Dorset, worked on scientific instruments at Kennedy Space Center, and even etched a Union flag onto a solar panel which remained on the Moon.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

The number of solar panel installation companies has multiplied since 2024, when the Cuban government relaxed restrictions on importing the mostly Chinese-made devices.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

The company unveiled its first fully designed and manufactured solar panel last month, which is being made at the Buffalo factory alongside the Solar Roof.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 10, 2026

Javari and Derek joined them at last, but there was barely enough room for all of them behind the solar panel.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023