A photovoltaic (PV) cell, commonly called a solar cell, is a nonmechanical device that converts sunlight directly into electricity. Some PV cells can convert artificial light into electricity. Sunlight is composed of photons, or particles of solar energy.
They generate electricity with no moving parts, operate quietly with no emissions, and require little maintenance. An individual photovoltaic cell will typically produce between 1 and 2 W. To increase the power output, several cells are interconnected to form a module.
However, one PV cell can only produce 1 or 2 Watts, which is only enough electricity for small uses, such as powering calculators or wristwatches. PV cells are electrically connected in a packaged, weather-tight PV panel (sometimes called a module). PV panels vary in size and in the amount of electricity they can produce.
In the international renewable energy production frame, photovoltaics (PV) is a well-established technology, which aims to produce electric energy from the sun radiation . Above 90% of the current photovoltaic production is based on silicon (Si) solar cells. However, typical commercial solar cells have an average efficiency of around 15%.
Current-voltage characteristics and power as a function of solar cell voltage. The most important parameters for users of photovoltaic systems include: maximum power, fill factor and photovoltaic conversion efficiency (photovoltaic cell efficiency) [24–28].
Solar-cell efficiency is the portion of energy in the form of sunlight that can be converted via photovoltaics into electricity by the solar cell. The efficiency of the solar cells used in a photovoltaic system, in combination with latitude and climate, determines the annual energy output of the system.
Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially used for electricity generation and as photosensors. A photovoltaic system employs solar modules, each comprising a number of solar cells