effectiveness of solar cell

The silicon solar cell has been around for more than half a century, and in that time it has made significant steps in terms of performance. The first silicon solar cell was invented by Bell Labs and shown to the public for the first time on April 25, 1954. This solar cell operated at only about 6% efficiency.

This was a significant improvement over the selenium solar cell, which had been the most common type before the introduction of the silicon solar cell. The efficiency rating for selenium solar cells was only about 0.5%.

Solar cell research since that time has made a priority of both improving efficiency and bringing down manufacturing costs. So far, researchers have managed to create cells with up to 40% efficiency, using exotic materials. These materials add substantially to the manufacturing cost of cells as well, though; these high-performance cells can cost over 100 times more than ordinary 8% efficient cells to produce. Reducing production cost may be even more important than improving efficiency when it comes to encouraging more homeowners to switch to solar power.

The sun delivers about 1,000 watts of power per square meter under ideal conditions. These are the conditions that are assumed when a particular solar cell’s performance specifications are cited. Dust, pollution, elevation, temperature, weather and other factors can have an effect on sunlight intensity. Some events, like volcanic eruptions, can even reduce sunlight on a worldwide basis for long periods of time. Elevation affects solar cell efficiency in that higher elevation actually leads to superior efficiency. At higher elevation, the air is thinner, and there’s less dust and pollution between the sun and the solar cells.

Multicrystalline solar cells are now commercially available, and these produce at about 14-19% efficiency. However, as mature technology, this kind of cell is thought to be approaching its limit in terms of production capability. Instead, many researchers are pinning their hopes on amorphous silicon cells, which are currently around 8% efficient.

Even without any massive improvements in solar cell efficiency, the goal of replacing fossil fuel-based power generation with solar power isn’t unthinkable. To supply all of the electricity currently produced in the US, it would take a little more than 10,000 square miles of solar panels. There is much more unused land than that, and it could easily be used for this objective.

In order to have power even when the sun isn’t out, solar power systems need to make use of some type of power storage as well. This need is usually satisfied through the use of batteries. Batteries can also be used to offset increased demand on hot days and so on.

Solar cell efficiency has increased substantially, from 0.5% to as high as 40%, since solar cells first emerged. Although the efficiency of commercially available solar cells is not expected to increase significantly in the short term, solar cell prices continue to decrease.

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