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In the 19th century, it was observed that the sunlight striking certain materials generates detectable electric current – the photoelectric effect. This discovery laid the foundation for solar cells. Solar cells have gone on to be used in many applications. They have historically been used in situations where electrical power from the grid was unavailable.
A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect. It is a form of photoelectric cell, a device whose electrical characteristics vary when it is exposed to light. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic modules, known colloquially as "solar panels". Almost all commercial PV cells consist of crystalline silicon, with a market share of 95%. Cadmium telluride thin-film solar cells account for the remainder. The common single-junction silicon solar cell can produce a maximum open-circuit voltage of approximately 0.5 to 0.6 volts.
A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. The electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct current (DC) electricity, which can be used to power various devices or be stored in batteries. Solar panels are also known as solar cell panels, solar electric panels, or PV modules.
James Donald Meindl was director of the Joseph M. Pettit Microelectronics Research Center and the Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center and Pettit Chair Professor of Microelectronics at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. He won the 2006 IEEE Medal of Honor "for pioneering contributions to microelectronics, including low power, biomedical, physical limits and on-chip interconnect networks.”
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Allen M. Barnett was an American research professor of electrical engineering at the University of Delaware. He was the principal investigator of the DARPA-funded Consortium for Very High Efficiency Solar cells. Barnett was the founder and CEO of solar-cell producer Astropower, Inc. He was also a Professor of Advanced Photovoltaics at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE) in Sydney Australia.
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Giovanni Spagnuolo is an Italian engineer. Since May 2016 he is Full Professor of Electrical Engineering at DIEM department of the University of Salerno, Italy.
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Power plant engineering, abbreviated as TPTL, is a branch of the field of energy engineering, and is defined as the engineering and technology required for the production of an electric power station. Technique is focused on power generation for industry and community, not just for household electricity production. This field is a discipline field using the theoretical basis of mechanical engineering and electrical. The engineering aspects of power generation have developed with technology and are becoming more and more complicated. The introduction of nuclear technology and other existing technology advances have made it possible for power to be created in more ways and on a larger scale than was previously possible. Assignment of different types of engineers for the design, construction, and operation of new power plants depending on the type of system being built, such as whether it is fueled by fossil fuels, nuclear, hydropower, or solar power.
A bifacial solar cell (BSC) is any photovoltaic solar cell that can produce electrical energy when illuminated on either of its surfaces, front or rear. In contrast, monofacial solar cells produce electrical energy only when photons impinge on their front side. Bifacial solar cells can make use of albedo radiation, which is useful for applications where a lot of light is reflected on surfaces such as roofs. The concept was introduced as a means of increasing the energy output in solar cells. Efficiency of solar cells, defined as the ratio of incident luminous power to generated electrical power under one or several suns (1 sun = 1000W/m2 ), is measured independently for the front and rear surfaces for bifacial solar cells. The bifaciality factor (%) is defined as the ratio of rear efficiency in relation to the front efficiency subject to the same irradiance.
Joseph Appelbaum is a professor (emeritus) in the Engineering Faculty at Tel Aviv University, and former holder of the Ludwig Jokel Chair of Electronics in the faculty. He is a life fellow of IEEE “for contributions to solar conversion systems”.
Vasilis M. Fthenakis is a Greek American chemical engineer, environmental scientist, author and academic. He is a senior research scientist, adjunct professor, and founding director of the center for Life Cycle Analysis at Columbia University.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Solar Energy Mini-Series: The Silicon Photovoltaic Roadmap". Stanford University. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ↑ "The father of solar in the U.S." Greentech Media. 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
- ↑ Wolfe, Philip (May 22, 2018). The Solar Generation . John Wiley & Sons & Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). p. 185. ISBN 9781119425588.
- 1 2 "SunPower History". SunPower. 2012. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
- 1 2 "Sunny Uplands: Alternative energy will no longer be alternative". The Economist . November 21, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
