Photodiode used to produce power from light on a large scale
For convection cells on the Sun's surface, see Solar granule.
A conventional crystalline silicon solar cell (as of 2005). Electrical contacts made from busbars (the larger silver-colored strips) and fingers (the smaller ones) are printed on the silicon wafer.Symbol of a Photovoltaic cell.
A solar cell or photovoltaic cell (PV cell) is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect.[1] It is a form of photoelectric cell, a device whose electrical characteristics (such as current, voltage, or resistance) vary when it is exposed to light. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic modules, known colloquially as "solar panels". The common single-junction silicon solar cell can produce a maximum open-circuit voltage of approximately 0.5 to 0.6 volts.[2]
Photovoltaic cells may operate under sunlight or artificial light. In addition to producing energy, they can be used as a photodetector (for example infrared detectors), detecting light or other electromagnetic radiation near the visible range, or measuring light intensity.
The operation of a PV cell requires three basic attributes:
The absorption of light, generating excitons (bound electron-hole pairs), unbound electron-hole pairs (via excitons), or plasmons.
The separation of charge carriers of opposite types.
The separate extraction of those carriers to an external circuit.
In contrast, a solar thermal collector supplies heat by absorbing sunlight, for the purpose of either direct heating or indirect electrical power generation from heat. A "photoelectrolytic cell" (photoelectrochemical cell), on the other hand, refers either to a type of photovoltaic cell (like that developed by Edmond Becquerel and modern dye-sensitized solar cells), or to a device that splits water directly into hydrogen and oxygen using only solar illumination.
Photovoltaic cells and solar collectors are the two means of producing solar power.
^Solar Cells. chemistryexplained.com
^"Solar cells – performance and →use". solarbotic s.net.
A solarcell or photovoltaic cell (PV cell) is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic...
A perovskite solarcell (PSC) is a type of solarcell that includes a perovskite-structured compound, most commonly a hybrid organic–inorganic lead or...
the photoelectric effect. This discovery laid the foundation for solarcells. Solarcells have gone on to be used in many applications. They have historically...
A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited...
as photosensors. A photovoltaic system employs solar modules, each comprising a number of solarcells, which generate electrical power. PV installations...
An organic solarcell (OSC) or plastic solarcell is a type of photovoltaic that uses organic electronics, a branch of electronics that deals with conductive...
of worldwide produced solar modules, while its rival thin-film has lost market-share.: 17–20 About 70 percent of all solarcells and modules are produced...
The theory of solarcells explains the process by which light energy in photons is converted into electric current when the photons strike a suitable...
Heterojunction solarcells (HJT), variously known as Silicon heterojunctions (SHJ) or Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin Layer (HIT), are a family of...
A bifacial solarcell (BSC) is any photovoltaic solarcell that can produce electrical energy when illuminated on either of its surfaces, front or rear...
calculator powered by a single solarcell to remote homes powered by an off-grid rooftop PV system. Commercial concentrated solar power plants were first developed...
for the production of solarcells. These cells are assembled into solar panels as part of a photovoltaic system to generate solar power from sunlight....
According to EnergyTrend, the 2011 global top ten polysilicon, solarcell and solar module manufacturers by capacity were found in countries including...
Solarcell phone chargers use solar panels to charge cell phone batteries. They can be used when no electricity supply is available—either mains or, for...
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A copper indium gallium selenide solarcell (or CIGS cell, sometimes CI(G)S or CIS cell) is a thin-film solarcell used to convert sunlight into electric...
determines the maximum power from a solarcell. Fill factor is defined as the ratio of the maximum power from the solarcell to the product of Voc and Isc....
A quantum dot solarcell (QDSC) is a solarcell design that uses quantum dots as the captivating photovoltaic material. It attempts to replace bulk materials...
plasmonic-enhanced solarcell, commonly referred to simply as plasmonic solarcell, is a type of solarcell (including thin-film or wafer-based cells) that converts...
crystals larger than one millimetre. Multicrystalline solarcells are the most common type of solarcells in the fast-growing PV market and consume most of...
as a power source.[obsolete source] The first practical silicon-based solarcells were introduced by Russell Shoemaker Ohl, a researcher at Bell Labs in...
Devices that can provide emf include electrochemical cells, thermoelectric devices, solarcells, photodiodes, electrical generators, inductors, transformers...
Inkjet solarcells are solarcells manufactured by low-cost, high tech methods that use an inkjet printer to lay down the semiconductor material and the...
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