Manufacturing Methods of Mono Crystalline and Poly Crystalline Silicon Cells The main ingradient of PV cells is silicon. Pure Silicon is obtained by carbothermic reduction where silica is heated to 1700 ° C in the presence of carbon. On very slow rate of cooling it forms large sized crystals. Mono crystalline silicon cells are made … Read more

Major Components Solar Pumping System Major components of the system are : (a) Solar panels / Arrays. (b) Charging and control circuit (c) Pumps (d) Water storage system. Tanks may be overhead or underground based on the requirement. A schematic layout of a typical solar pumping system is shown in Figure. 1. Solar Panels : … Read more

Solar Pumping Solar pumps are cost effective solutions for providing water in places where the water sources are scattered, the terrain is rugged and it is difficult to lay electric power lines from the grid and in case pumping is to be done using IC Engine based pumps, having the problem of frequent maintenance , … Read more

Types of Solar Photovoltaic Systems Depending on the method of utilization there can be two configurations : Stand alone system. Grid connected system (Interactive Systems) 1. Stand Alone System : The characteristics of this system are : They supply power to a system Independently without the use of any common grid or connection to any … Read more

Solar Photovoltaic Systems The complete solar photovoltaic system is as shown in Figure A. Figure A The major components of the system are as follows : Photovoltaic array Inverter Energy Storage System Charge Control Balance of System (BOC) Components 1. Photovoltaic Array : The basic component is the solar cell. This is the device which … Read more

Factors Limiting the Efficiency of Solar Cell Solar cells do not operate at the theoretical maximum efficiency. Some of the reasons for this are avoidable. But some are intrinsic. Factors limiting the efficiency are : Reflection losses at the top surface. Shading due to charge collection grid at the top surface. Incomplete absorption of energy … Read more

Basics of Photovoltaics Photovoltaic Materials : There are number of materials showing photovoltaic properties. The commonly used materials are Silicon (Si), Cadmium (Cd). Gallium Arsenide (GaAs). These have comparatively better performance over the other materials having solar photovoltaic properties. The materials have to be fabricated in the form of arrays. The process of fabrication is … Read more

Performance of PV Cell (Current -Voltage Characteristics) A solar cell is generally uses p-n junction. The performance of a solar cell is represented by a plot of its current (ISC) and voltage (VOC) shown in Figure A. Figure A It could be observed that the current initially remains constant with the increase in voltage and … Read more

Photo Voltaic Principles A pair of positive and negative charges called electron-hole pairs are created in the solar cell by absorbed solar radiations. As discussed earlier, the suitable materials for absorbing the energy of photons of sunlight (light is radiant energy whose quantum is called photon) are semi-conductors like silicon, gallium arsenide with dopants. In … Read more

Solar Photovoltaic Cell Materials Silicon is the most commonly used solar cell material. The electrical properties silicon depend on the type and amount of dopants. Dopants : The commonly used dopants are P – type : Aluminium (Al), Boron (B), Gallium (Ga) N – type : Arsenic (As), Lithium (Li), Antimony (Sb), Phosphorous (P). Bismuth … Read more