Solar Cell
Solar Cell
Why waste our time digging for coal or digging for oil when there’s a massive power station high above us that is sending out free green energy? The Sun is a glowing ball of nuclear energy, can provide enough energy to provide power to our Solar System for five billion more years. Solar panels can convert this energy into an unending supply of electricity.
Although solar power might appear unusual or out of the ordinary, it is already very common. A solar-powered watch or calculator to keep in your pocket could be on your wrist. Many gardeners are equipped with solar-powered lighting. Solar panels are often found on satellites and spaceships. NASA the American Space Agency, has even created the first solar-powered plane. Global warming is threatening our environment and it seems certain that solar power will become an ever-growing source of energy that is renewable. How does it work?
What is the maximum amount of solar power we can get from the Sun?
It is incredible how solar power operates. Every square meter on Earth receives on average 163 watts of solar power. We’ll go over this figure in more detail in the next paragraph. It means you could put a 150 watt table lamp on every square meter of Earth and utilize the sun’s energy to light the entire globe. Another way to put it, if we covered only one percent of the Sahara desert in solar cells, it would be possible to generate enough solar energy to power the entire world. The great thing about solar energy is that there’s a lot of it, more than we’ll ever need.
There is a downside. The Sun’s energy is the result of light and heat. Both are essential. The light is what makes plants grow and provide food for us. Heating keeps us comfortable enough to live. But, we can’t make use of the sun’s heat or light directly to solar power a TV or car. It is important to convert solar energy into a different form of energy that we can use more easily like electricity. This is precisely what solar cells do.
In summary:
- The cell’s surface is illuminated by sunlight
- Photons transmit energy through cells’ layers.
- Photons transmit energy to electrons that reside in lower layers.
- This energy is used by electrons to let electrons escape the circuit and jump back into the upper layers.
- The power of the device is generated through the flow of electrons through the circuit.
What are solar cells?
A solar cell is an electronic device which is able to capture sunlight and transform it into electric energy. It’s roughly similar to a hand of an adult, octagonal in form, and is colored blueish-black. A variety of solar cells can be bundled together to form larger units called modules. These modules are then linked to larger units referred to as solar panels. (The black- or blue-tinted tiles you see on homes typically have hundreds of individual solar cells per roof) Or cut into chips (to power small gadgets such as digital watches and pockets calculators).
The cells in solar panels work similar ways to batteries do. However, in contrast to battery’s cells, which generate electricity from chemicals solar panel’s cells are able to capture sunlight and produce electricity. Photovoltaic cell (PV), as they generate electricity from sunlight (photo originates in the Greek word meaning light). The term “voltaic”, however, refers to Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), an Italian electrical engineer who was a pioneer in the field.
Light is described as tiny particles called photons. A sun’s beam can be thought of like an enormous white firehose, which shoots trillions upon trillions. Solar cells can be placed within the path of these photons to capture them , and later transform them into electric current. Each cell produces only a few volts, therefore the function of solar panels is to combine energy from many cells to produce the required amount of electrical current and voltage. The solar cells of today are nearly all made of slices of silicon (one of the most commonly used chemical elements{ found|| that are found} on Earth and is found in sand). However, as we’ll discover, other materials could also be possible. The sunlight’s energy blasts electrons out of the solar cell after it’s exposed sunlight. They can then be utilized to power any electrical device that runs on electricity.
How are solar cells made?
Silicon is the main material that microchips’ transistors (tiny switches) are created. Solar cells function in a similar manner. A semiconductor is a form of material. Conductors are substances that permit electricity to flow smoothly through them, like metals.
Others, like plastics or wood, don’t allow electricity to flow through them. they are called insulation. Semiconductors, like silicon, aren’t conductors or insulators. However they can conduct electricity under certain conditions.
A solar cell is made up consisting of two different layers of silicon each one of them being doped or treated so that electricity can move through it in a particular manner. The lower one has less electrons because it is doped. This layer is called positively-type silicon, also known as p-type. It has too many electrons and therefore is negatively charged. To give the layer an overabundance of electrons it is doped with a negative charge. This is referred to as n-type and negative-type silicon. (Read more about semiconductors and doping in our posts on integrated circuits and transistors.
A barrier is created at the intersection of two layers of n-type as well as silica p-type. This barrier forms the essential boundary where the two types of silicon meet. The barrier is not accessible to electrons so even if the sandwich connects to a lamp but the current isn’t flowing and the light bulb won’t switch on. But, if you shine light on the sandwich, it’ll produce something amazing. The light can be thought of as{ a|| an evaporation} stream as well as “light particles” which are energetic, referred to as photons. Photons that pass through the sandwich give up their energy to silicon atoms as they pass through. The energy that is absorbed is able to knock electrons away from the lower layer, which is p type. They then cross barriers to get into the higher n-type and flow around the circuit. The more light there is then the more electrons leap up and more electricity flows.
How efficient are Solar Panels?
The law of conservation energy as a fundamental principle of physics, says that energy can’t be made or made to disappear into the air. It is only possible to transform it from one type of energy to another. Solar cells cannot generate more electricity than it gets from light every second. As we’ll see, most solar cells can convert 10 to 20 percent of energy that they get into electricity. The theoretical maximum efficiency of a mono-junction silicon panel would be about 30 percent. This is known as the Shockley Queisser Limit. Because sunlight is a wide spectrum of wavelengths and energies that a single-junction silicon solar cell can only capture photons within a limited frequency range. The remainder of the photons will go to waste. Some of the photons hitting the solar cells are not strong enough to generate enough electrons. Others have too much energy and are wasted. In the most ideal conditions, lab cells equipped with modern technology are able to achieve just below 50 percent efficiency. They make use of multiple junctions to collect photons of various energy levels.
A typical domestic panel could have an efficiency of around 15 percent. Single-junctionsolar cells of the first generation aren’t able to reach the efficiency of 30 percent established by Shockley-Queisser, or the record set by the laboratory for efficiency of 47.1 percent. There are a myriad of factors that could affect the efficiency of solar cells including how they’re built, angled and placed in relation to their location, whether they’re in shadow, how clean they are, and how cool they look.
Different types of Photovoltaic Cell
A majority of the solar cells are on rooftops are silicon sandwiches. They have had their silicon “doped” to increase the electrical efficiency of their cells. These classic solar cells are called first-generation by scientists to distinguish them from the two more advanced technology, second- and third generation. What is the difference?
First-generation Solar Cells
The majority of the world’s solar cell production comes from wafers containing crystallized silicon (abbreviated “c-Si”), that are then cut out of large ingots. This process could take up to one month, and it takes place in extremely clean laboratories. Ingots could include single crystals (monocrystalline solar panels) or multi-crystalline (polycrystalline solar panels), depending on whether they contain multiple crystals.
Solar cells of the first generation function as we have shown them in the box above. They make use of a simple junction between n and p-type layers of silicon, which is made from separate ingots. An n-type ingot is made by heating small pieces of silicon with small amounts (or antimony, or even phosphorus) as dopants. For a p-type, one uses boron. The junction is made by combining slices of p-type and the n-type silicon. There are some additional bells and whistles which can be added to photovoltaic cells (like an antireflective layer that increases the absorption of light and creates their blue hue) as well as metal connections to allow them to be wired into circuits. But a simple p-n junction is the one that most solar cells are relying on. This is the way photovoltaic solar cells have been operating since 1954, when Bell Labs scientists pioneered it by shining light onto silicon sand they produced electricity.
Second-generation Solar Cells
The classic solar cells are thin solar cell wafers. They’re typically just a fraction of millimeter thick (around 200 micrometers or 200 millimeters). They’re not as thick than second generation solar cells (TPSC), or thin film solar cells, which are 100 times smaller (several millimeters or millionths of a meter deep). While most of them are still composed of silicon (a form known as amorphous siliu (a-Si)), in which atoms are arranged in random crystalline structures Some are composed of other materials , such as Cd-Te, cadmium-telluride as well as copper-indium gallium diselenide (CIGS).
The second generation cells are light and thin and are able to be laminated with skylights, windows as well as roof tiles. They are also compatible with all types of “substrates” which are backers like metals and plastics. Second-generation cells have less flexibility than the first generation ones, however they perform far better than their predecessors. First-generation cells of the highest quality can have an efficiency of 15 to 15%, but the amorphous silicon cells struggle to achieve above 7 percent) and the top thin-film CdTe cells can only manage around 11 percent efficiency, with CIGS cells are no better than 7-12 percent. This is among the main reasons why second-generation solar cells have not enjoyed much success on the marketplace despite their numerous practical benefits.
Third-generation Solar cells
These new technologies combine the best characteristics of both the first and second generation cells. They promise high efficiency (up to 30 %) just like the first generation cells. They are more likely to be made of materials other as silicon (making second-generation photovoltaics OPVs) and perovskite crystals. Furthermore, they could have multiple junctions (made by several layers of different semiconducting material). They will be less expensive as well as more efficient and feasible than first or second generation cells. The{ current|| record-setting} global record of efficiency of third-generation solar cell is 28.1. It was reached in December 2018 by an equidistant perovskite solar cell.
How are they made?
Like you see, there are seven steps in the process of making solar cells.
1. Purify Silicon
It is then heated by the electric oven. In order to release oxygen carbon arcs can be used. The result is carbon dioxide and molten silica, which can be used to make solar panels. But, even though this yields silicon with only 1% impurity it’s not quite sufficient. The floating zone technique allows the silicon rods that are 99% pure to pass through a zone that is heated several at a time, in the direction of. This method removes any impurities that are present on one side of the rod and permits it to be sucked out.
Second Stage: Making Single Crystal Silicon
The Czochralski method is the most popular method to create single-crystalline silicon. This involves placing a seed crystal made of silicon within melted silicon. This creates a boule or cylindrical ingot by turning the seed crystal when it is being removed from the melted silicon.
Third Stage Slice the Silicon Wafers
The second stage boule is used to cut silicon wafers using the circular saw. This task is best accomplished with diamonds, which create the silicon chips that are able to be further cut into hexagons or squares. Although cutting marks of the saw are eliminated from the slices, some companies keep them in place because they believe that more light can be absorption by a rougher solar cell efficiency.
Fourth Stage Doping
After purifying the silicon at a earlier point, it’s possible to add impurities back into the material. Doping involves the use of an accelerator that ignites the phosphorus ions inside the ingot. You can regulate the depth of penetration by controlling the speed of the electrons. You can skip this step using the traditional technique of inserting boron into processing the wafers.
Phase Five: Add electric connections
Electrical contacts are utilized to connect the solar system and act as receivers for the generated current. These contacts, composed of various metals, including palladium and copper are made of a thin layer enough to let sunlight into the solar cell in a way that is efficient. The metal is either deposited on the exposed cells or it is evaporated by vacuum using a photoresist. Tin-coated copper strips is typically placed between the cells after the contacts have been inserted.
Stage Six: Apply the Anti-Reflective Coating
Because it has a shiny appearance, it is able to be able to reflect as much as 35% of sunlight. To reduce reflections, a coating of silicon will be put on it. The process involves heating the surface until the molecules are boiling off. The molecules then travel onto the silicon and expand. A high voltage may also be used to eliminate the molecules and deposit them on the silicon at another electrode. This is known as “sputtering”.
Stage Seven: Encapsulate and Seal the Cell
They are sealed by silicon rubber or ethylene vinyl Acetate. Finally, they are placed inside an aluminum frame, with a back sheet and glass cover.
What amount of electrical energy can solar cells produce?
Theoretically speaking, it’s an enormous amount. For the moment, let’s put aside solar cells and concentrate on the pure sun. Every square meter on Earth can absorb up to 1,000 watts in solar energy. That’s the estimated power of direct sunlight during a clear day. The sunlight’s rays are fired perpendicularly to Earth’s surface and provide the maximum light.
After we adjust to the tilt of our planet as well as the seasons we will achieve between 100-250 watts for each square. meters in northern latitudes even on days with no clouds. This is roughly 2-6 kWh/day. Multiplying the entire year’s production results in 700-2500 kWh per sq. m (700-2500 units) of electricity. The potential of the sun’s energy in warmer regions is evidently more than Europe. For instance, the Middle East receives between 50 to 100 percent greater solar power per season than Europe.
The problem is that solar cells are only around 15 percent efficient, so we can only capture 4-10 Watts per square foot. That’s why panels that produce solar power should be huge and the size of the area the area you can cover with cells directly impacts the power you can generate. An average solar panel comprised of 40 cells (each row of 8 cells) produces around 3-4.5 watts. However, a solar panel comprised of 3-4 modules can generate many kilowatts, which would be enough to power a home’s most energy-intensive needs.
How about Solar Panel Farms?
But, what happens if we need to generate huge amounts of solar energy? It will require between 500 to 1000 solar roofs to generate similar amounts of electricity as a wind turbine that has a peak output of about 2 or 3 megawatts. To compete with coal or nuclear power stations (rated as gigawatts) it is necessary to have around 1,000 solar roofing systems. This is roughly 2000 wind turbines and perhaps one million. These comparisons assume that our solar and wind generate the highest output. While solar cells do produce clean, efficient power but they are not able to claim to be effective in the use of land. Even the massive solar farms appearing all over the country generate only a small amount of power, usually about 20 megawatts or 1 percentage less than the 2 gigawatt nuclear or coal plant. Shneyder Solar, a renewable business estimates that it requires approximately 22,000 panels to cover 12 ha (30-acres) space to generate 4.2 megawatts. It’s about the same that two wind turbines with large capacities. Additionally, it generates enough power to power 1,200 homes.
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