This document summarizes information about solar cells. It discusses different types of solar cells including bulk material cells, thin-film cells, single crystal silicon cells, and more. It provides diagrams of solar cell characteristics like I-V curves with and without illumination. Maximum cell performance factors like fill factor and efficiency are defined. The document also discusses materials used in solar cells and why semiconductors are suitable. References are provided at the end.

1. Seminar By:
Pritam Rath
Regd. No. 0911013206
Dept. Of Electrical
Engineering
ITER, Bhubaneswar
A SOLAR CELL
1

2. Efficiency Study
Solar Cell Types
Equivalent Circuit Diagram
Maximum Cell Performance
Solar Cell Characteristics
A Solar Cell
How to Harness Solar Power
Solar Energy – Need
2

3. SOLAR ENERGY – NEED
FOOD
ENERG
Y
HUMAN
HUMAN
HOTEL
A
HOTEL
B
80 INR
150 INR
COAL,
NUCLEAR
SOLAR, GEO
THERMAL, WIN
D
LESS
COSTLY
BIT COSTLY
3

4. HOW TO HARNESS SOLAR
ENERGY
P
N
P
N
Solar Power is converted to
electricity using PV
(Photovoltaic) effect.Solar Power is concentrated
and converted to thermal
energy which is converted to
electric energy.
4

5. In 1839, Edmond Becquerel found that two different
brass plates immersed in a liquid produced a
continuous current when illuminated with sunlight. We
now believe that he had made a copper - cuprous
oxide thin - film solar cell. Later in the 1870s,
Willoughby Smith, W. G. Adams, and R. E. Day
discovered a PV effect in selenium.
A solar cell is a semi-conducting device made of
silicon or other materials, which, when exposed to
sunlight, generates electricity. It uses the Photovoltaic
technology.
A SOLAR CELL
5

6. ‹#›

7. MATERIALS FOR A SOLAR CELL
WHY
SEMICONDUCTORS
ARE USED??
7

8. SOLAR CELL
CHARACTERISTICS
I-V CHARACTERISTICS
(WITHOUT ILLUMINATION)
P
N
P
N
I
V
I=Io{exp(V/VT)-1}
Where,
Io= reverse saturation
current
VT = Voltage equivalent of
Temperature
Normally at 20 degrees it
is 26 mV.
VT = kT/q
8

9. SOLAR CELL
CHARACTERISTICS
I-V CHARACTERISTICS
(WITH ILLUMINATION)
I
V
P
N
P
N
Isc
Isc
Voc
Voc
9

10. SOLAR CELL
CHARACTERISTICS
I-V CHARACTERISTICS
Voc
Isc
I=-Isc+Io{exp(V/VT)-1}
Voc=VT ln{(Isc/Io)+1}
10

11.  Fill Factor
FF= Vm.Im/Voc.Isc
 Efficiency,
Efficeincy=Vm.Im/Solar
Power
MAXIMUM CELL PERFORMANCE
Vm
V
P
Max. Power
Point
11

12. EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
I=Isc-Io{exp(V/VT)-1}
12

13. EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
13

14. • Bulk Material Cell
• Thin-Film Cell
• Single Crystal Silicon Cell
• Multicrystalline Silicon Cell
• Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) Cell
• GaAs Cell
• CIGS Cell
• CdTe Cell
• Organic PV Cell
SOLAR CELL TYPES
14

15. THICKNESS OF ACTIVE
MATERIAL
Bulk Material Thin-Film Cell
15

16. TYPE OF ACTIVE MATERIAL
USED
Single Crystal Silicon
Cell
Multicrystalline Silicon
Cell16

17. TYPE OF ACTIVE MATERIAL
USED
Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) Cell
17

18. TYPE OF ACTIVE MATERIAL
USED
GaAs Cell CIGS Cell
Organic PV Cell18

19. EFFICIENCY STUDY
19

20. 20
 Martin A. Green, Keith Emery, Yoshihiro
Hishikawa and Wilhelm Warta, “Solar cell
efficiency tables”, Published online 18 June
2010 in Wiley InterScience
(www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI:
10.1002/pip.1021.
 B H Khan, “Non-Conventional Energy
Resources”, TMH-2nd Edition, Page 159-179.
 en.wikipedia.org/wiki.Solar_cell.
 http://pveducation.org/pvcdrom/solar-cell-
operation/iv-curve
REFERENCES