Importance of solar energy
The use of solar energy is a trend rapidly gaining popularity in India as it is available in large quantities in most parts of the country. More importantly, it is a renewable energy source that never goes out. While solar energy is readily available, using this energy for practical purposes is a tricky business. However, past research has shown that it can harness it into electricity, and the current research aims to convert all received energy into valuable electricity.
What is a photovoltaic cell?
Solar energy conversion into electricity is accomplished using the principle of the photovoltaic (PV) effect. The photovoltaic effect is converting solar energy into electricity through photovoltaic cells made of semiconductors such as silicon. When sunlight hits a photovoltaic cell, its components called photons absorb the received light energy and transfer that energy to electrons in the semiconductor material, which then flows as an electrical current. This current becomes the source of electricity. One of the most popular semiconductor materials for photovoltaic cells is silicon, which has properties that help generate electricity from solar energy.