Solar Cell
Solar Cell
Why do we have to dig for oil or shoveling coal when there’s a massive power station atop us that provides free, clean energy? The Sun is a glowing ball of nuclear energy is able to supply the energy needed to supply power to the Solar System for five billion more years. Solar panels can transform this energy into an unending supply of electricity.
While solar power might seem futuristic or strange however, it’s already widespread. A solar-powered watch or calculator to keep in your pocket could be in your wrist. A lot of gardeners use solar-powered lights. Solar panels are typically located on spacecrafts and satellites. NASA one of the American Space Agency, even designed the first solar-powered plane. Global warming is threatening the environment and it seems certain that solar power will become an ever-growing source of energy that is renewable. What is the process?
What is the maximum amount of solar power we can get from the Sun?
It is incredible how solar power functions. Each square meter on Earth receives an average 163 watts of solar power. This figure will be discussed in greater detail later. It means you could place an electric table lamp of 150 watts on every square meter of Earth and use the sun’s energy to illuminate the entire planet. Another way to think about it is that if we covered only one percent or less of Sahara desert with solar panels, we could generate enough electricity to solar provide power to the entire globe. The best aspect of solar energy is that it has a large amount of it, more than we’ll ever require.
There is a downside. The Sun’s energy arrives as the result of heat and light. Both are vital. Light is what helps plants grow and provide us with food. Heat keeps us warm enough to live. But, we can’t make use of the sun’s light or heat directly to solar power a car or TV. It is necessary to convert solar energy into a different form of energy we can use more easily such as electricity. This is exactly what solar cells do.
In Summary:
- The cell’s surface is illuminated by sunlight
- Photons transport energy through cells’ layers.
- Photons transmit energy to electrons that reside in lower layers.
- The energy used by electrons to get out of the circuit and then jump back into the upper layers.
- The energy for devices is supplied through the flow of electrons through the circuit.
What are solar cells?
Solar cells are electronic devices that captures sunlight and converts it into electricity. It is about the same size as an adult’s hand with a shape that is octagonal and colored in a bluish-black color. Numerous solar cells can be put together to create bigger units, also known as modules. These are then connected into bigger units known by solar panels. (The black- or blue-tinted tiles you see on houses typically have hundreds of solar cells per roof) or chopped into chips (to power small gadgets like digital watches and pockets calculators).
The cells of solar panels work the same manner as batteries. However, in contrast to battery’s cells which produce electricity using chemicals, solar panels’ cells are able to capture sunlight and produce electricity. Photovoltaic cell (PV), as they produce electricity using sunlight (photo is derived in the Greek word meaning light). The word “voltaic” however, is a reference to Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), an Italian electrical engineer who was a pioneer in the field.
Light is often thought of as tiny particles called photons. A beam of sunlight is similar to an enormous white firehose, which shoots trillions of trillions. Solar cells can be placed within the path of these photons to capture them , and later transform them into an electrical current. Each cell can generate some volts, and the job of a solar panel is to combine the energy produced by several cells to generate the required amount of electrical energy and voltage. Today’s solar cells are almost all composed of pieces of silicon (one the most well-known chemical elements{ found|| that are found} on Earth and is found in sand). But, as we’ll see, other materials may also be viable. The sun’s radiation blasts electrons away from a solar cell when it’s exposed to sunlight. They can then be used to power any electrical device powered by electricity.
How are solar cells made?
Silicon is the main material that microchips’ transistors (tiny switches), are made. Solar cells work in a similar way. The term semiconductor refers to a form of material. Conductors are materials that allow electricity to flow easily through them, like metals.
Others, like plastics or wood, aren’t able to permit electric current to pass through. they are called insulation. Semiconductors like silicon are not conductors or insulation. However we can make them conduct electricity in certain conditions.
The solar cells are composed from two silicon layers, each one of them being treated or doped so that electricity can move through it in a specific way. The lower one has lower electrons since it’s doped. The layer is known as p-type, or positive-type silicon. It is filled with too many electrons, which is why it is negatively charged. In order to give the layer an excess of electrons it is doped in the opposite direction. This is known as n-type and negative-type silicon. (Read more about doping and semiconductors in our articles on integrated circuits and transistors.
A barrier is created at the junction between two layers of n type and p-type silica. This barrier is the crucial border where both types of silicon come into contact. The barrier is not accessible to electrons so even if the sandwich connects to a flashlight but the current isn’t flowing and the lightbulb won’t be able to turn on. However, if you shine light on the sandwich, it will produce something amazing. The light could be considered as{ a|| an evaporation} streaming stream, or “light particles”, which are energetic, referred to as photons. Photons that enter the sandwich release their energy to silicon atoms as they pass through. The incoming energy is able to knock electrons away from the lower layer, which is p type. They then leap across and over the wall to the higher n-type and move around the circuit. The greater the amount of light, the more electrons will jump up and more current will flow.
How efficient are Solar Panels?
The law of conservation energy, a fundamental rule 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 into another. A solar cell cannot produce more electricity than it gets in light each second. As we’ll see, the majority of solar cells convert between 10-20% of energy that they get into electricity. The theoretical maximum efficiency of a single-junction silicon solar panel is around 30 percent. This is known by The Shockley Queisser limitation. Since sunlight has a broad variety of wavelengths and energies one-junction silicon solar cell will only be able to capture light in a very narrow frequency range. The remainder of the photons are wasted. Some of the photons hitting a solar cell aren’t strong enough to create enough electrons. Some have too much energy and go to waste. Under the ideal conditions, laboratory cells with advanced technology may be able to achieve just below 50% efficiency. They make use of multiple junctions to capture photons with various energies.
A real-world domestic panel might have an efficiency of approximately 15 percent. Single-junctionsolar cells of the first generation aren’t able to reach the efficiency of 30 percent set by Shockley-Queisser, or the lab record for efficiency of 47.1 percent. There are many variables that affect the effectiveness of solar cells, like how they’re constructed, angled , and placed, whether they are ever in shadow and how clean they are, and how cool they are.
Different types of Photovoltaic Cell
Most solar panels that are on roofs are simply silicon sandwiched. They’ve received the designation of “doped” to enhance its electrical conductivity. These solar cells of the past are called first-generation by scientists to distinguish them from the two newer technologies, second- and third generation. What is the difference?
First-generation Solar Cells
More than 90 percent of the solar cells are made of silicon wafers that contain crystalline silicon (abbreviated “c-Si”), which are sliced from large ingots. This process can take as long as one month and is carried out in ultra-clean labs. Ingots can include single crystals (monocrystalline solar panels) or multi-crystalline (polycrystalline solar panels) in the event that they contain multiple crystals.
The first-generation solar cell functions as they are shown in the box above. They use one, simple junction between n and p-type layers of silicon, which is cut from separate ingots. The n-type ingot is created by heating small silicon pieces using small amounts (or antimony and phosphorus) as dopants. A p-type one would use boron. The junction is formed by fusing slices of p type and N-type silicon. There are additional bells and whistles that can be added to photovoltaic cells (like an antireflective coating, which increases light absorption and gives them their blue color), and metal connections to allow them to be connected to circuits. However, a basic P-N junction is the most common solar cells depend on. This is how photovoltaic solar cells have been working since 1954 when Bell Labs scientists pioneered it: by shining sunlight onto silicon sand, they created electricity.
Second-generation Solar Cells
The traditional solar cells have thin film of solar wafers. They’re typically just tiny fractions of millimeters thick (around 200 micrometers or 200 millimeters). They aren’t as thin than second generation solar cells (TPSC), or thin-film solar cells, which are 100 times smaller (several millimeters or millionths a meter deep). Though the majority are still made of silicon (a form known as amorphous siliu, a-Si), in which particles are distributed in random crystalline forms however, some are made of different materials like cadmium-telluride, Cd-Te, or copper indium gallium dielenide, (CIGS).
Second-generation cells are extremely thin and light and can be laminated to skylights, windows or roof tiles. They are also compatible with all types of “substrates”, which are backers like plastics and metals. Second-generation cells have less flexibility than those of the first generation, but they still perform better than their predecessors. First-generation cells of the highest quality can have an efficiency of 15 to 15 percent, however Amorphous silicon is struggling to reach above 7%) While the most efficient thin-film CdTe cells manage only about 11 percent, and CIGS cells can’t even reach 7-12 percent. This is among the reasons why the second-generation solar cells aren’t enjoyed much success on the market despite their many advantages.
Third-generation Solar cells
The latest technologies combine the best characteristics of both first- and 2nd generation cells. They promise high efficiency (up 30 percent or more) similar to the first generation cells. They are more likely to be constructed from substances other as silicon (making second-generation photovoltaics (also known as OPVs) and perovskite crystals. They may also have multiple junctions (made up of multiple layers made of different semiconductor material). They will be less expensive as well as more efficient and practical than the first or second-generation cells. The{ current|| record-setting} global record of efficiency of third-generation solar cells is currently 28 percent. This record was set in December 2018 by a tandem perovskite-silicon solar cell.
How are they made?
You can observe the seven steps in the process of making solar cells.
1. Purify Silicon
It is then heated in the electric oven. To release the oxygen carbon arcs can be used. This results in carbon dioxide as well as molten silica which can be used to make solar systems. But, even though this yields silicon with a 1% impurity, it’s still not adequate enough. The floating zone method allows the silicon rods that are 99% pure to pass through a heated zone several times in the same direction. The process eliminates all impurities from one end of the rod and permits it to be sucked out.
2. The Making of Single Crystal Silicon
Czochralski Method is the most well-known method for creating single-crystalline silicon. This involves placing a seed crystal composed of silicon in melted silicon. The result is a boule or cylindrical ingot, by spinning the seed crystal when it is removed from the silicon melting.
Stage Three: Make cuts in the Silicon Wafers
A second boule stage is utilized to slice silicon wafers with a circular saw. This is the best job to do by using diamonds, which produce silicon slices that can later be cut into hexagons or squares. Although the cutting marks of the saw are eliminated from slices, some companies leave them because they believe that more light may be absorbed by rougher solar cells.
Fourth Stage Doping
After cleaning the silicon at a earlier stage, it’s possible to incorporate impurities to the silicon. Doping is the use of an accelerator that ignites the phosphorus ions inside the ingot. It is possible to control the depth of penetration by controlling the speed of the electrons. It is possible to skip this step using the conventional method of inserting boron during making the cut.
Phase Five: Add electric contacts
Electrical contacts are utilized to connect the solar system and act as receivers of the electricity generated. The contacts, which are made of various metals, including palladium and copper are made of a thin layer enough to let sunlight into the solar cell efficiently. The metal can be deposited on the exposed cells or it is evaporated by vacuum using a photoresist. Thin strips of copper coated with tin are typically placed between the cells after the contacts have been inserted.
Step Six Step Six: Apply the Anti-Reflective Coating
Because silicon is shiny, it is able to absorb up to 35% of sunlight. To decrease reflections, a coating of silicon will be put on it. This is done by heating the material until the molecules begin to boil off. The molecules then travel onto the silicon and begin to condense. A high voltage may also be used to remove the molecules and deposit them onto the silicon at an opposite end of the electrode. This is referred to as “sputtering”.
Stage Seven Stage Seven: Seal and Encapsulate the Cell
Solar cells enclosed using silicon rubber or vinyl Acetate. Finally, they are placed in an aluminum frame with a back sheet and glass cover.
What amount of electrical energy can solar cells produce?
Theoretically, it is a lot. For the moment, let’s ignore solar cells and focus on pure sunlight. Each square meter of Earth can absorb up to 1,000 watts in solar power. That’s the estimated capacity of direct sunlight on a clear day. The solar rays are firing perpendicularly to Earth’s surface, resulting in the greatest light.
When we adjust to Earth’s tilt as well as the timing we will achieve between 100-250 watts for each square. meters in northern latitudes even on clear days. This is equivalent to 2-6 kWh per daily. When you multiply the whole year’s production, it yields 700 to 2500 kWh for every sq. meters (700-2500 units) of electricity. The potential of the sun’s energy in the hotter regions is definitely greater than Europe. For example Middle East Middle East receives between 50 and 100 percent more solar energy each season than Europe.
The problem is that solar cells are only around 15 percent efficient. This means that we only get 4-10 watts per square meter. This is the reason panels that harness solar power have to be massive: how big you are able to cover with cells directly impacts the power you generate. The typical solar panel made up with 40 solar cells (each row of 8 cells) will produce about 3-4.5 watts. A solar panel made up of 3-4 modules could generate several kilowatts, which is enough to supply a house’s peak energy needs.
How about Solar Panel Farms?
But, what happens do we do if we have to produce massive amounts of solar power? It will require between 500 to 1000 solar roofs to generate the same amount of power like a large wind turbine with a peak output of about 2.5 or 3.0 megawatts. In order to compete with huge nuclear or coal power plants (rated as gigawatts) the requirement is about 1 000 solar rooftops. This would be equivalent to about 2000 wind turbines or perhaps a million of them. These comparisons assume that our solar and wind power sources produce the maximum output. Even though solar cells can generate clean, efficient electricity however, they can’t claim to be efficient land uses. Even the massive solar farms appearing all over the country generate only a small amount of power, usually around 20 megawatts or 1 percentage less than the 2 gigawatt coal or nuclear plant. Shneyder Solar, a renewable energy company estimates that it requires approximately 22,000 solar panels for a 12-hectare (30-acres) space to produce 4.2 megawatts. This is about the same as two wind turbines of a similar size. The turbine also produces enough energy to power 1200 homes.
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