Solar panels
Solar panels can be divided into monocrystalline silicon solar cells, polycrystalline silicon solar cells, amorphous silicon solar cells, and relatively rare chemical dye cells based on their materials;
Monocrystalline silicon solar cells
The photoelectric conversion efficiency of monocrystalline silicon solar cells is about 18%, with the highest reaching 24%, which is the highest among all types of solar cells. Due to the use of tempered glass and waterproof resin for packaging, monocrystalline silicon is sturdy and durable, with a service life of up to 25 years.
Polycrystalline silicon solar cells
The manufacturing process of polycrystalline silicon solar cells is similar to that of monocrystalline silicon solar cells, but the photoelectric conversion efficiency of polycrystalline silicon solar cells is significantly reduced, with a photoelectric conversion efficiency of about 16%.
In terms of production cost, it is cheaper than monocrystalline silicon solar cells, with simple material manufacturing, energy-saving power consumption, and lower overall production cost, which has led to significant development.
In addition, the service life of polycrystalline silicon solar cells is also shorter than that of monocrystalline silicon solar cells. In terms of cost-effectiveness, monocrystalline silicon solar cells are slightly better.
Amorphous silicon solar cells
Amorphous silicon solar cells are a new type of thin film solar cells that emerged in 1976. They are completely different from monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon solar cells in terms of production methods. The process is greatly simplified, silicon material consumption is minimal, and power consumption is lower.
Its main advantage is that it can generate electricity even under low light conditions. However, the main problem with amorphous silicon solar cells is their low photoelectric conversion efficiency, which is around 10% of the international advanced level and not stable enough. As time goes on, their conversion efficiency decays.
Power generation principle
Solar cells are devices that respond to light and can convert light energy into electricity. There are many types of materials that can generate photovoltaic effects, such as monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, etc.
Their power generation principle is basically the same. There are two ways of solar power generation, one is the light heat electricity conversion method, and the other is the direct light electricity conversion method.
Light-Heat-Electricity
The light heat electricity conversion method generates electricity by utilizing the heat energy generated by solar radiation. Generally, the absorbed heat energy is converted into steam from the working medium by a solar collector, which then drives a steam turbine to generate electricity. The previous process is the photothermal conversion process; The latter process is the thermal electric conversion process, just like ordinary thermal power generation.
Light-Electricity
The direct conversion method of light to electricity utilizes the photoelectric effect to directly convert solar radiation energy into electrical energy, and the basic device of light to electricity conversion is solar cells. A solar cell is a device that directly converts solar energy into electrical energy due to the photovoltaic effect.
It is a semiconductor photodiode. When sunlight shines on the photodiode, it converts the solar energy into electrical energy, generating current. When many batteries are connected in series or parallel, they can become a solar cell array with relatively high output power.
