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How does connecting solar cells in series change a solar panel's voltage?

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Diagram of a solar cell showing labeled layers, including a front electrical contact grid, antireflection layer, absorber layer, back junction layer, and back electrical contact layer, with arrows indicating light entering and terminals connecting to a circuit. — solar cell A commonly used solar cell structure. In many such cells, the absorber layer and the back junction layer are both made of the same material.

Connecting solar cells in series is a standard design technique used to boost the total voltage of a solar panel.

Because an individual solar cell typically generates only a small amount of electrical power, multiple cells are interconnected to meet specific energy requirements. When these cells are wired in series, their individual voltages add together, resulting in a higher cumulative output voltage for the module. Conversely, if the goal is to increase the current rather than the voltage, the cells are connected in parallel.12