The conversion efficiency is the proportion of a photovoltaic device’s electric power output to the power of the sunlight incident on the device. In simpler terms, it can be defined as the amount of incident solar energy that is converted to electricity by a PV system.
Researchers have created PV cells with efficiencies close to 50%, despite the fact that the majority of commercial panels have efficiencies of 15 to 20 percent.
What are Factors Affect Conversion Efficiency?
PV cells don’t always turn 100% of the sunshine into power. Most of it is actually gone. The capacity of a solar cell to convert the sunlight it receives is constrained by a variety of design elements. Higher efficiency can be attained by designing with these aspects in mind.
1. Wavelength
Photons, or energy packets, are the building blocks of light and come in a variety of energies and wavelengths. Wavelengths in the sunlight that reaches the surface of the planet span from ultraviolet to infrared. Some photons are reflected when light hits a solar cell’s surface, whereas others pass straight through. The energy of some of the absorbed photons is converted to heat. The remaining ones possess sufficient energy to release electrons from their atomic bonds, resulting in charge carriers and electric current.
2. Temperature
Low temperatures are typically the best for solar cells. A modest increase in current is produced but a much larger decrease in voltage is a result of the shifting semiconductor characteristics brought on by higher temperatures. Extreme temperature increases can also harm the materials in the cell and other modules, reducing their functioning lifetimes. Since most of the sunlight that hits cells converts to heat, effective thermal management increases efficiency and lifespan.
3. Reflection
By reducing the amount of light reflected from a cell’s surface, efficiency can be improved. For instance, silicon that has not been treated reflects more than 30% of the light that strikes it. Reflection is reduced by anti-reflection coatings and textured surfaces. A dark blue or black color will indicate a high-efficiency cell.
How Do You Determine Conversion Efficiency?
In order to estimate the amount of power a cell will produce; researchers evaluate a photovoltaic (PV) device’s performance. Current and voltage together produce electrical power. Relationships between current and voltage gauge a PV device’s electrical characteristics. The current and voltage generated by a cell or module will change in accordance with Ohm’s law if a particular “load” resistance is attached to the two terminals of the device (the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the potential difference across the two points). Efficiency is determined by measuring the current and voltage generated for various load resistances while subjecting the cell to a constant, standard level of light and keeping a consistent cell temperature.
Recommended: 11 Major Factors Affecting Solar Panel Efficiency
