Do Solar Panels Use Electricity?

Solar panels do not use electricity, as they generate it from sunlight through photovoltaic action.
Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into electric current, therefore the panels supply usable power to a house.

Solar panels sometimes need a small amount of power to run inverters and trackers, because these parts enable conversion and orientation.

Inverters convert DC into AC, hence inverters consume some energy which reduces net output slightly.
Overall solar arrays produce more energy than they consume, so houses gain usable electricity and may export surplus to the grid.

Solar panels deliver power to batteries via a charge controller, so the system stores energy for night use.
Charge controllers regulate voltage and current, therefore controllers prevent battery overcharge and improve safety.

Batteries supply electricity at night, because panels cannot produce energy without sunlight.