(a) What is a solar cell ? Draw the labelled diagram of a solar cell.
(b) Name the semi-conductor material which is usually used for making solar cells.
(c) Write the uses of solar cells.
a) -
Solar cell, also called photovoltaic cell, any device that directly converts the energy of light into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect. The overwhelming majority of solar cells are fabricated from silicon—with increasing efficiency and lowering cost as the materials range from amorphous (noncrystalline) to polycrystalline to crystalline (single crystal) silicon forms. Unlike batteries or fuel cells, solar cells do not utilize chemical reactions or require fuel to produce electric power, and, unlike electric generators, they do not have any moving parts.
A commonly used solar cell structure. In many such cells, the absorber layer and the back junction layer are both made of the same material.
b) - Solar cells can be classified into first, second and third generation cells. The first generation cells—also called conventional, traditional or wafer-based cells—are made of crystalline silicon, the commercially predominant PV technology, that includes materials such as polysilicon and monocrystalline silicon.
c) -