How do solar cells actually work?

Solar energy systems are in greater demand than ever. But how does a solar module work, and how is it constructed? Solar cells are located in solar modules and do all the work.

The smallest but most important part of a solar energy system is the solar cell. It converts the sun's energy into electrical energy. But how does a solar cell actually work? This article will explore this question.

As mentioned earlier, the numerous small solar cells in a solar panel are the central components for generating energy. An average solar panel contains around 60 solar cells. The number of cells is determined by the size of the panel, which means that there may be more or fewer solar cells in a panel.

The special feature of the solar cell is its photoelectric activity. This activity converts sunlight's energy into electrical energy, making electricity generation free of waste and emissions.

Sunlight contains microscopic photons, the energy carriers that strike the solar modules and, thus, the solar cells. The semiconductor in the solar cell reacts to the sunlight, and electrons are released. Wherever electrons are released, holes are created that are positively charged. Depending on whether the positive or negative charge is greater, the electrons move towards the positive or negative electrode.

The holes move to the bottom side of the silicon, and the electrons move to the top. This way, the charges move upwards and flow through the conducting layer, taking them to the appliances. When they reach an appliance, the circuit is closed, and the electrons flow back to where they are missing.

To be able to use the energy generated, connections must be made to the solar cells, which can be connected to other solar cells using a cable. A contact layer is applied to the underside to connect the solar cells and form an electrical circuit. On the upper side, however, there is a thin grid through which sunlight can enter.

We have already briefly touched on how they work, but what are solar cells made of that allows them to perform the conversion process? Generally speaking, solar cells are made of semiconductor materials. These materials are somewhere between indicators and electrical conductors. Chemical elements can influence or control the properties of the insulators and conductors.

In most solar cells today, silicon is the semiconducting material. However, other types of alloys, such as indium, selenium, gallium, copper, and cadmium telluride, are now also used in addition to silicon.

A solar cell with silicon usually consists of three layers.
Two different silicon layers form the main component here:

The n-doped layer:

The p-doped layer:

A barrier layer is placed between these two layers, driving the released charges by sunlight. This creates the p-n junction in this cell, which means that the movement of electrons becomes an electric field.

The sun is basically like a nuclear reactor in which hydrogen fuses and helium is created. This process produces radiation that also moves in the earth's direction through electromagnetic waves. This energy generated by the sun is called solar energy.

Two types of solar energy systems can use solar energy:

‼️The sun provides around 15,000 times more solar energy annually than the entire population of the earth needs. This fact shows that solar energy is vital for energy supply. In this context, the photovoltaic system is particularly noteworthy because it converts solar energy into electricity. For this reason, the most important component of a photovoltaic system is the solar cell.

The solar panels, which contain the solar cells, convert solar energy into DC. DC causes electrons to flow in one direction within an electrical circuit. An example of this is a battery that powers a flashlight. In this battery, the electrons flow from the negative side of the battery, through the bulb in the flashlight, and

In AC, on the other hand, electrons are moved back and forth. In this back-and-forth motion, the direction of the electrons is periodically reversed. This process can be compared to a cylinder in a car. In the car, an alternator generates the alternating current when a wire roll is turned next to a magnet.

The electricity used in the power grid and distributed throughout the country is alternating current. However, since solar modules and their solar cells generate direct current, the direct current must be converted into alternating current, a task performed by an inverter.

The inverter in the solar energy system converts the direct current generated by the solar modules into usable alternating current. This means that the inverter is often referred to as the heart of the PV system. At the same time, the inverter ensures grounding and compiles statistics about the entire solar energy system. These statistics include the current and voltage the solar energy system provides. In addition, it includes power point tracking in many cases.

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Since the beginning of solar energy systems, central inverters have been used to convert the generated direct current into alternating current. The development and introduction of micro-inverters have revolutionised the technology of photovoltaics.

Micro-inverters are not responsible for the entire PV system; rather, a central inverter is, but only for each individual PV module. This allows each module to achieve its full and maximum performance. For example, if a central inverter is used, a problem can arise when a module is dirty or shaded, reducing the performance of the entire system.

If, on the other hand, a micro-inverter is used for each module, only the performance of the affected modules is reduced and the entire system is not affected.

Solar cells are one of the most important components of a photovoltaic system and also largely determine its cost. They are also crucial for the performance of the solar modules. Three different types are available.

The following solar cells and their properties are available: