How does a Solar Cell Work?
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There are a variety of different devices which use sunlight to generate power, but the basic concept of a solar cell is as follows. In a photovoltaic (PV) or solar cell, there are two layers of silicon. Both are doped, or lightly mixed, with a certain element. Typically, one side is doped with boron and the other with arsenic. Because of the way each element bonds to the silicon, the layer containing boron, called the n-type layer, has a surplus of free electrons. The other side, the p-type layer, has a deficit of electrons. These deficits are called holes. The p-type layer and n-type layer are pressed closely against each other and linked by a wire connected to an external load. This creates a circuit in the solar cell. When sunlight of the right energy level hits the n-type layer, which is on top of the solar cell, it excites some of the free electrons, which break loose from their natural state — pairs — and flow across the boundary between the layers to create a current. This onl
Solar cells are composed of various semi conducting materials. Semiconductors are materials, which become electrically conductive when supplied with light or heat, but which operate as insulators at low temperatures. Over 95% of all the solar cells produced worldwide are composed of the semiconductor material Silicon (Si). As the second most abundant element in earth’s crust, silicon has the advantage, of being available in sufficient quantities, and additionally processing the material does not burden the environment. To produce a solar cell, the semiconductor is contaminated or “doped”. “Doping” is the intentional introduction of chemical elements, with which one can obtain a surplus of either positive charge carriers (p-conducting semiconductor layer) or negative charge carriers (n-conducting semiconductor layer) from the semiconductor material. If two differently contaminated semiconductor layers are combined, then a so-called p-n-junction results on the boundary of the layers. mod
Light is has the properties of a wave and a particle. Einstein described light as a conglomeration of projectiles. If these projectiles, the photons, have sufficient energy and hit a free electron in a conductor or semiconductor, it is set in motion. Electricity begins to flow. It is removed from the top surface of a solar cell with silver contacts. Several cells are connected via these contacts to form a module. The electricity generated in this way can be used directly or fed into the power network.
