I generation solar PV cells The solar PV cells based on crystalline-silicon, both monocrystalline (m-crystalline) and polycrystalline (p-crystalline) come under the first generation solar PV cells. The name given to crystalline silicon based solar PV cells has been derived from the way that is used to manufacture them.
The solar PV cells based on thin films are less expensive, thinner in size and flexible to particular extent in comparison to first generation solar PV cells. The light absorbing thickness that were 200–300 µm in first generation solar PV cells has found 10 µm in the second generation cells.
The history of photovoltaics can be traced back to the discovery of the photoelectric effect by Albert Einstein in 1905, which laid the foundation for the development of solar cells . In 1954, the first practical solar cell was developed by Bell Labs, which had an efficiency of around 6%.
The study includes four generations of the solar PV cells from their beginning of journey to the advancements in their performance till date. During past few decades, many new emerging materials came out as an effective source for the production of electrical energy to meet the future demands with cost effectiveness as well.
Trends in photovoltaic (PV) efficiency improvement include incremental advances, the emergence of tandem solar cells stacking multiple materials for enhanced efficiency, the growing prominence of perovskite solar cells due to rapid efficiency gains, and the increasing popularity of bifacial solar panels capturing sunlight from both sides.
Based on inorganic quantum dots, an efficiency of solar PV cells is about 7% which is reported by Segent’s research group .