PV Gap

Tamara Said:

Solar Power Homework Help?

We Answered:

Textbooks books have been written on the subject.

But a short summary of what happens in a photovoltaic cell is essentially the materials used to construct the cell are materials that when the light photons strike them/their molecules, electrons get moved to higher energy orbitals or states and electrons get easily liberated long enough for their extra energy to get transferred to other electrons and the cumulative effect is a measurable current at a measurable voltage potential just like the electrochemical reaction of a battery. Because of the manner the compounds in the cell are assembled, they are also akin to a very large diode or transistor so all those electrons giving up their energy as electricity, are giving up energy that can migrate only one direction in the circuit.

The thermal effect is minimal, however the panels are absorbing solar energy.

This is an oversimplification of the process, but it gives you an idea of what is happening within the photocell. A more involved explanation would be paralleling the "hole theory" that describes transistors. There is not enough room here to expand on that.

One of the manufacturers of thin film solar panels would be a good site explore. If you were to query them for some specific textbooks, they could likely list more than a few.

Megan Said:

A good science fair idea for a grade 10 student?

We Answered:

Here are a bunch: http://www.free-science-fair-projects.co…