Solar Cell Function and Efficiency Considerations
Solar resources provide the earth with more energy in a single hour than humans use in an entire year. Despite this abundance of solar resources, only 0.02% of electricity comes from solar power. This discrepancy stems from the high price of solar power in comparison to other power sources as well as the variation in solar resources. Nevertheless, solar power holds great promise for solving a variety of future energy issues. Solar power is readily available around the world for helping people meet their energy needs in a clean, reliable, and sustainable manner. Photovoltaic or solar cells are the most common solar power technology, yet they still have plenty of room for improvement in terms of efficiency. In my talk I will first cover the function of solar cells and then address several considerations relating to efficiency and applications of physics in improving efficiency.