A solar cell in its most fundamental form consists of a semiconductor light absorber with a specific energy band gap plus electron- and hole-selective contacts for charge carrier separation and extraction. Silicon solar cells have the advantage of using a photoactive absorber material that is abundant, stable, nontoxic, and well understood.
The dominance of silicon in the photovoltaic market can be attributed to several key factors. Firstly, silicon is the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, making it readily available for solar cell production . This abundance has been a critical factor in the widespread adoption and scalability of silicon-based solar cells.
In a nutshell, photovoltaic cells are devices that convert solar energy into electrical energy. Approximately 89% of the global solar cell market is made up of first-generation solar cells [2, 3]. Crystalline silicon was used in the first generation of solar cells.
Silicon solar cells are likely to enter a new phase of research and development of techniques to enhance light trapping, especially at oblique angles of incidence encountered with fixed mounted (e.g. rooftop) panels, where the efficiency of panels that rely on surface texturing of cells can drop to very low values.
Silicon has long been the dominant material in photovoltaic technology due to its abundant availability and well-established manufacturing processes. As the second most common element in the Earth’s crust, silicon’s natural abundance and mature processing techniques have made it the go-to choice for solar cell production for decades.
Approximately 89% of the global solar cell market is made up of first-generation solar cells [2, 3]. Crystalline silicon was used in the first generation of solar cells. Despite the benefits of silicon materials in PhotoVoltaics, they have a low energy conversion efficiency of 27.6% and a high manufacturing cost.