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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.
However, the solar frequency spectrum approximates a black body spectrum at about 5,800 K, [1] and as such, much of the solar radiation reaching the Earth is composed of photons with energies greater than the band gap of silicon (1.12eV), which is near to the ideal value for a terrestrial solar cell (1.4eV).
Photovoltaic concentrator solar arrays for primary spacecraft power are devices which intensify the sunlight on the photovoltaics. This design uses a flat lens, called a Fresnel lens, which takes a large area of sunlight and concentrates it onto a smaller spot, allowing a smaller area of solar cell to be used.
The Shockley–Queisser limit, zoomed in near the region of peak efficiency. In a traditional solid-state semiconductor such as silicon, a solar cell is made from two doped crystals, one an n-type semiconductor, which has extra free electrons, and the other a p-type semiconductor, which is lacking free electrons, referred to as "holes."
A basic thermophotovoltaic system consists of a hot object emitting thermal radiation and a photovoltaic cell similar to a solar cell but tuned to the spectrum being emitted from the hot object. [1] As TPV systems generally work at lower temperatures than solar cells, their efficiencies tend to be low.
Solar cell – made from a monocrystalline silicon wafer. Polymer solar cell – are a type of flexible solar cell. Nanocrystal solar cell – are solar cells based on a substrate with a coating of nanocrystals. Solar panel – (also solar module, photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel) is a packaged, connected assembly of photovoltaic cells.
The roles of the p and n regions in the cell can be interchanged. Accordingly, a monofacial solar cell produces photocurrent only if the face where the junction has been formed is illuminated. Instead, a bifacial solar cell is designed in such a way that the cell will produce a photocurrent when either side, front or rear, is illuminated.
In a basic Schottky-junction (Schottky-barrier) solar cell, an interface between a metal and a semiconductor provides the band bending necessary for charge separation. [1] Traditional solar cells are composed of p-type and n-type semiconductor layers sandwiched together, forming the source of built-in voltage (a p-n junction). [2]