Solar cells or photo voltoic cells


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Solar cells or photo voltoic cells

  1. 1. Definition• Solar cell is also called as photo galvanic cell Photo galvanic cell or solar cell is the one which converts the solar energy (energy obtained from the sun) directly into electrical energy.
  2. 2. Principle• The solar cells are based on the principles of photovoltaic effect.
  3. 3. Photovoltaic effect• Definition: Light ener• The generation of gy voltage across the PN junction in a semiconductor due to the n-type semiconductor Electri absorption of light cal radiation is called p- type semiconductor Power photovoltaic effect. The Devices based on this effect is called p-n junction photovoltaic device.
  4. 4. Construction• Solar cell (crystalline Silicon) consists of a n-type semiconductor (emitter) layer and p-type semiconductor layer (base). The two layers are sandwiched and hence there is formation of p-n junction.• The surface is coated with anti-reflection coating to avoid the loss of incident light energy due to reflection.
  5. 5. Construction
  6. 6. Working• When a solar panel exposed to sunlight , the light energies are absorbed by a semi conduction materials.• Due to this absorbed energy, the electrons are liberated and produce the external DC current.• The DC current is converted into 240-volt AC current using an inverter for different applications.
  7. 7. Working
  8. 8. • Thus when this p and n layers are connected to external circuit, electrons flow from n-layer to p-layer, an hence current is generated• The electrons that leave the solar cell as current give up their energy to whatever is connected to the solar cell, and then re-enter the solar cell. Once back in the solar cell, the process begins again.
  9. 9. Types of Solar cellBased on the types of crystal used, soar cells can be classified as, 1. Mono crystalline silicon cells 2. Polycrystalline silicon cells 3. Amorphous silicon cells1. The Mono crystalline silicon cell is produced from pure silicon (single crystal). Since the Mono crystalline silicon is pure and defect free, the efficiency of cell will be higher.
  10. 10. Polycrystalline solar cell• In Polycrystalline solar cell, liquid silicon is used as raw material and polycrystalline silicon was obtained followed by solidification process. The materials contain various crystalline sizes. Hence, the efficiency of this type of cell is less than Mono crystalline cell
  11. 11. Amorphous silicon cells3.Amorphous silicon was obtained bydepositing silicon film on the substrate likeglass plate.•The layer thickness amounts to less than 1µm– the thickness of a human hair forcomparison is 50-100 µm.
  12. 12. Comparison of Types of solar cell Material Efficiency (%)Mono crystalline silicon 14-17Polycrystalline silicon 13-15Amorphous silicon 5-7
  13. 13. Advantages1. It is clean and non-polluting2. It is a renewable energy3. Solar cells do not produce noise and they are totally silent.4. They require very little maintenance5. They are long lasting sources of energy which can be used almost anywhere6. They have long life time7. There are no fuel costs or fuel supply problems
  14. 14. Disadvantage1. Solar power can`t be obtained in night time2. Solar cells (or) solar panels are very expensive3. Energy has not be stored in batteries4. Air pollution and whether can affect the production of electricity5. They need large area of land to produce more efficient power supply