The energy moves in a particular current, and is transferred to the metal contacts that are attached to the tops and bottoms of the solar cell. Those metal contacts are what draws off the energy from the cell. Many cells together, connected by metal wiring create greater amounts of usable energy.
This is a very theoretical explanation of what goes on within a solar cell, and there are more considerations of the cells in reality that have to be accounted for when you are constructing solar panels. If the energy that goes into the solar cell amounted to the energy that was extracted from the solar cell, then it is likely more people would invest in solar energy solutions.