Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Cell

Solar energy is the luminous light and generated by the Sun that may be captured using a variety of technologies, namely solar power to create electricity, solar thermal energy, such as solar water heating, and solar architectural. A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell, is indeed an electrical machine that enables the photovoltaic effect, a physical and chemical phenomena, to transform light energy directly into electricity.

Solar Energy

The overall amount of solar energy incident on Earth exceeds the country’s current and projected energy needs by a large margin..

The Earth’s atmosphere and clouds capture or scatter up to 54 percent of the incident light, resulting in a comparatively small additional loss. Nearly half of the sunlight that comes from the ground is visible light, with the remaining 45 percent consisting of infrared radiation and minor quantities of ultraviolet and other kinds of electromagnetic radiation.

When the sun shines on the semiconductor in a PV cell, electrons are liberated, and bus bars gather the freed electrons, resulting in an electric current. When we put Solar panels in the sunlight in a structured way, they begin to produce current and voltage in the form of Direct current (DC). However, most gadgets and technology in the world run on Alternate current (AC), so we must connect all Solar panels to an Inverter, which transform DC to AC for home use.

Photovoltaic Cell

A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that uses the photovoltaic effect, a physical and chemical phenomena, to transform light energy directly into electricity.   It is a type of photoelectric cell, which is described as a device with electrical parameters that change when illuminated, such as current, voltage, or resistance. A typical single junction silicon solar cell has a peak open-circuit voltage of 0.5 to 0.6 volts.

Regardless matter whether the beam of light is sunlight or artificial light, solar cells are classified as photovoltaic. They can indeed be employed as a photodiode (for e.g., infrared detectors), recognizing light or other electromagnetic radiation near the visual range, or evaluating amount of light in addition to creating energy.

A photovoltaic (PV) cell must have three basic characteristics in order to function:

• The reception of light that results in the formation of electron-hole pairs .

• Charge carriers of opposing kinds are separated.

• Distinct carriers are extracted and sent to an electrical current.

Photovoltaic  Solar  cell

When light strikes a photovoltaic (PV) cell, also known as a solar cell, it can be mirrored, consumed, or passed right through it. The PV cell is made of semiconductor material, which conducts electricity effectively than an insulator but not quite and also a good conductor like metal.

When a semiconductor is exposed to light, it absorbs the energy and converts it to electrons, which are negatively charged particles in the material. A solar cell is the most basic component of a solar panel, which transforms sunlight into electricity. Professionally constructed solar cells have a layer of non-reflective glass placed between metal connections and a particular semiconductor substance. The semiconductor has been designed to be photo-electrically  sensitive, and it reacts to light by generating a flow of electrons. Despite the high cost of these materials, you may manufacture your own solar cell at home with materials that are far less affordable and easier to acquire by. A handmade solar cell is ideal for science competitions, classroom demonstrations, and even powering your own little electronics.

Properties  Of  Solar  Cell

The properties of a solar cell are as follows:

• The open circuit voltage of a solar cell, VOC, is independent of the illuminance.  Also, whenever the current, I = 0, the maximum voltage is generated across the solar cell’s ends.

• The highest current produced by a solar cell when the endpoints of the solar cell are short is known as the short circuit current, or ISC.

• Maximum power: This can be deduced from the following graph:

Working  principle of solar cell

The photovoltaic effect is a phenomenon that converts light energy into electrical energy. Whenever semiconductor materials are illuminated, some photons from the light ray are received by the crystal, resulting in a large number of free electrons in the crystal. This is the major reason for the photovoltaic effect’s ability to generate power. The photovoltaic cell is the fundamental component of a system that uses the photovoltaic effect to generate electricity from light energy. Silicon is the most extensively utilized semiconductor material in solar cell construction. There are four valence electrons in a silicon atom.

Thus every silicon atom in a solid crystal shares each of its 4 valence electrons with the silicon atom next to it, forming covalent connections amongst them. In this method, a tetrahedral lattice structure is formed in the silicon crystal. When a light ray reaches a substance, some of that is reflecting, some is passed through into the substance, and the remainder is consumed by the material.

Conclusion:

Although the Sun is a tremendously powerful energy source, and sunlight is by far the most abundant source of energy received by Earth, its strength at the surface is relatively low. Solo solar cells are frequently used as the electrical components of photovoltaic modules, also referred as solar panels