The photovoltaic effect and silicon’s role
The photovoltaic effect, discovered by French physicist Edmond Becquerel in 1839, is the principle of electricity generation through solar panels. Silicon is pivotal to solar generation because of its photosensitive semiconducting properties. The solar industry also uses other materials for photovoltaic systems besides silicon cells, such as cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, and thin-film solar cells.
The sun produces electromagnetic radiation, continuously sending photons to Earth. Within a solar panel, these photons strike the photovoltaic cells, transferring their energy to knock electrons free within the solar cell material. This activity triggers electron flow, generating an electric field. To enhance the efficiency of this electrical circuit, the photovoltaic cell is split into positive and negative sides, each doped with different elements to create more charge.
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- Source: https://solargroup.co.nz/how-do-solar-panels-work/