Efficiency of Photovoltaic Systems

Solar energy can be part of a mixture of renewable energy sources used to meet the need for electricity. Engineers have developed technologies to convert solar energy to electrical power efficiently using photovoltaic cells (also called solar cells). The solar cells are made from purified chunks of the element silicon and directly convert light to electricity using a process called photovoltaics. Solar photovoltaic cells are grouped in panels (modules), and panels can be grouped into arrays of different sizes to produce small to large amounts of electricity, such as for powering solar calculators, street lights, electricity for homes, or equipment in satellites launched in space. Solar arrays that convert energy to electricity on the International Space Station are made of thousands of solar cells. Students in my Physics class will get an opportunity to understand the functioning of Photovoltaic cells. They will investigate how solar cells work, the factors that affect their output, and the economics of solar power.