Solar Cells and Characteristics — Lesson 7

This lesson covers the fundamental aspects of solar cells and their characteristics. It explains the structure of a solar cell, including the p-type silicon, n-type silicon, depletion layer, and conductors. The lesson also discusses how a solar cell works when light falls on it, producing electricity. It further delves into the photovoltaic principle, the flow of electrons, and the importance of incident radiation being perpendicular to the surface. The lesson also explains the concept of short circuit current and open circuit voltage, and how they vary with solar power. An example used in the lesson is the typical characteristic of a diode, explaining forward and reverse bias.

Video Highlights

00:03 - How a solar cell works when light falls on it
01:09 - Characteristics of a photovoltaic cell
03:02 - Model of PV cell
04:24 - Solar cell parameters
07:40 - Variation of I-V characteristics with sunlight

Key Takeaways

- A solar cell is a semiconductor that produces electricity when light falls on it.
- The structure of a solar cell includes p-type silicon, n-type silicon, depletion layer, and conductors.
- The photovoltaic principle is used in solar cells, where valence electrons get excited and move into the conductance band when light falls on the n-type surface.
- Short circuit current increases linearly and open circuit voltage increases logarithmically as solar power increases.
- The maximum power point is the maximum power a PV cell can generate at any amount of light incident.