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Printable version; Page information ... Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software ... Description = Schematic symbol for a photovoltaic cell. ...
A solar cell, also known as a 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.
An organic solar cell (OSC [1]) or plastic solar cell is a type of photovoltaic that uses organic electronics, a branch of electronics that deals with conductive organic polymers or small organic molecules, [2] for light absorption and charge transport to produce electricity from sunlight by the photovoltaic effect.
Biological photovoltaic devices are a type of biological electrochemical system, or microbial fuel cell, and are sometimes also called photo-microbial fuel cells or “living solar cells”. [3] In a biological photovoltaic system , electrons generated by photolysis of water are transferred to an anode . [ 4 ]
The first demonstration of the photovoltaic effect, by Edmond Becquerel in 1839, used an electrochemical cell. He explained his discovery in Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences, "the production of an electric current when two plates of platinum or gold immersed in an acid, neutral, or alkaline solution are exposed in an uneven way to solar radiation."
[8] [9] Macro-architecture of the solar cells could result in different surface areas being placed in any fixed volume - particularly for thin film solar cells and flexible solar cells which may allow for highly convoluted folded structures. If volume is the binding constraint, then efficiency density based on surface area may be of less relevance.
The average retail price of solar cells as monitored by the Solarbuzz group fell from $3.50/watt to $2.43/watt over the course of 2011. [86] In 2013 wholesale prices had fallen to $0.74/W. [ 85 ] This has been cited as evidence supporting ' Swanson's law ', an observation similar to the famous Moore's Law , which claims that solar cell prices ...
Scientists used solar cells constructed of highly conductive photovoltaic materials such as gallium, indium, phosphide and gallium arsenide that increased total efficiency by over 30%. By the end of the century, scientists created a special type of solar cells that converted upwards of 36% of the sunlight it collected into usable energy.