Basic Definition of Solar Cells
8 April 2009 | Solar Power | 1 Comment
Solar cells are materials that absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity.Today’s photovoltaics industry is a product of 1950s solid-state electronics, and was greatly stimulated by the need to find power sources for America’s place satelites.Its beginnings though, can be traced back to 1839 when scientists observed that light falling on certain material created a difference in electric response(in other words, it created electricity).They further discovered that the amount of electricity produced varied with the amount of light and intensity.This is called the Photovoltaic Effect(photo-for light, and voltaic-for voltage).
Solar cells are very thin rectangular or circular wafers typically made of silicon, the same basic material that makes up stand at the beach and is used in most of the electronic components in your stereo and other electronic appliances.The silicon can be “grown” in crystals that are interconnected and layered under glass or plastic as a thin film.
A variety of semiconductor types can be used to make photovoltaics including single and polycrystalline silicon, thin-film amorphous silicon, and several advanced technology materials.Because silicon is so abundant and it has the proper physical attributes for the process, it is the basic material for solar cells.
Tags: best solar systems, how to make solar cells, PV cells, solar cell, solar cell definition, Solar Energy, Solar Power
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