Solar Cell Fundamentals to Deployment

Photovoltaic effect and solar cell definition

A photovoltaic (PV) effect is the physical principle used by solar cells to convert light energy directly into electricity. A solar cell (also called a photovoltaic cell or PV cell) is an electronic device whose electrical characteristics—such as current, voltage, or resistance—change when it is exposed to light. In practice, PV cells are a type of photoelectric cell and form the basic building blocks of photovoltaic modules (commonly called solar panels). For a solar cell to work, it must (1) absorb light to generate charge carriers (e.g., electron–hole pairs), (2) separate carriers of opposite types, and (3) extract them to an external circuit to produce electrical power. Solar cells can operate under sunlight or artificial light, and they are used not only for power generation but also as photodetectors (for example, for infrared detection) and for measuring light intensity. Most commercial PV cells are made from crystalline silicon, with cadmium telluride thin-film cells making up the remainder.

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Solar cell operation: absorption to extraction

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