A solar cell converts

A solar cell uses the photovoltaic effect to turn sunlight directly into electrical energy.

It does not first convert heat; solar cells respond to light photons, not to warmth.

Turning heat into light describes an incandescent process, not what a solar cell does.

Converting solar energy only into light is what glowing bodies do, not a power-generating cell.

Semiconductor layers in the cell release electrons when photons strike them, creating a current.

Solar panels are arrays of many such cells wired together to raise voltage and output.