Question by feasco32: how does solar cell convert sunlight into electricty?
Best answer:
Answer by TSSA!
Alright: Photons (in sunlight) contain energy. When they strike an atom, one or more of its electrons will jump into a higher energy state.
With metals, they often jump into the conduction band, producing an electric current.
Modern Solar Cells utilize semiconductor technology, with doped silicon. When light strikes the solar cell, it creates an electron-hole pair (also known as an exciton)- one of the doped atoms accepts an electron and the other rejects one. Because of the semiconductor properties, the pair will migrate through the cell creating an electric current.
So basically, light hits the solar cell and delivers its energy into the material. Energy has to go somewhere- in the case of metals and semiconductors, it goes into electricity and heat.
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