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Series and Parallel Connections Summary
The last slide said what is really the most important for somebody looking at just creating a solar panel. When you connect in series, you make the the voltage higher. When you connect in parallel, you make the amperage higher.
This quick example should sum it up. Let's say you have 12 solar cells that are rated at .5V and 1A each:
If they were all strung together in series (from the positive side of one cell to the negative side of the next), you would have a total output of 6V at 1A:
If they were all strung together in parallel (all positive leads together and all negative leads together), you would have a total output of .5V at 12A:
You could also have a combination of connections. For instance, if you were to create 2 strings of 6 cells in series, and put those two strings in parallel, you would have a total output of 3V at 2A:
Interestingly enough, no matter how you put them together, those 12 - .5V/1A cells provide 6 watts of power. To learn more about that, be sure to check out the Wattage Informational Article.