How Does Solar Technology Turn Sunlight into Electricity
Today solar cells have become a part of our everyday lives owing to its use in both everyday consumer electronics to industries that literally run on solar cells. From calculators to homes and factories that run on solar technology it seems as though the only difference is in the size of the solar cells used. Many people often think that the larger a solar cell is the more electricity it will produce and vice versa this is partially correct but there is more than just size to this technology as we will soon discover.
The solar cells that are used to power calculators are called PV cells or photovoltaic cells. These cells directly convert sunlight or any other light source into electricity. Solar cells are made from a special set of materials called semiconductors the most common of which is silicon. When light strikes a solar cell the cells absorb a certain quantity of light into the semiconductor. The energy transferred to the semiconductor then knocks fee electrons loose which enables them to flow easily.
There are also one or more electric fields active within a photovoltaic cell that forces the electrons which have been freed by light to take a certain flow path or direction. It is this flow that we all know as current or electricity. The metal contacts you see both below and above a photovoltaic cell are there to draw away current to be used externally such as to power a calculator. Both the current in combination with the cell’s voltage defines its power also termed as wattage. The higher the wattage of a cell the more things it can power.
Increasing efficiency
You might have seen that most solar cells are coated by a strange plastic like material often deep red or brown in color. This is what is called an antireflective coating which is basically used to minimize losses from the cell itself. It is this coating that helps protect the solar cell from the rigors of use. This coating also helps increase the efficiency of solar cells which up to just a few years ago was just 18%. Today however the most cutting edge of solar cells can reach up to 40% efficiency. This still leaves a lot of room for improvement as solar cells are still not utilizing around 60% of the sunlight that they absorb. It is well worth searching the internet for more information on solar technology and solar collectors (Solaranlage) .