Photovoltaic technology consists of photovoltaic cells and today this is one of the most rapidly growing technologies in the world. This technology makes use of the sun’s energy by absorbing it and then converting the DC current into AC current which can then be used to power electronic appliances.
The photovoltaic cells are designed by using materials such as silicon which could either be crystalline or amorphous silicon. There are quite a few advancements made in this technology however there is still a lot to achieve. This will be possible in the near future as more and more people move towards photovoltaic technology.
Today solar power stations having photovoltaic technology have capacity between 20 and 50 W. however in the near future the solar panels will have a capacity of 100W. coming back to photovoltaic technology, the cells work when the photon particles from the sun’s rays strikes the silicon molecules.
The plates are normally made of silicon boron or silicon phosphorus. When the photons excite the electrons, two opposite charges are created. This pushes the electrons to another level till the electrons get kicked out of the atom. Hence one plate has no electrons while the other has excess electrons. This result then leads to conduction of electricity. The opposite charged plates transfer electrons between them. This is how photovoltaic technology works.
When the individual solar cells are combined together it results in the cumulative formation of electricity. Solar energy was first used in satellites where there was no source to produce electricity in space. Today the cells are also used in smaller devices such as calculators and watches. A solar inverter is needed in order to convert DC current of the sun into AC current which can then be used to power appliances.
Photovoltaic technology makes use of solar panels. The materials that are normally used in photovoltaic cells include amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, polycrystalline silicon and copper sulphide.
The demand for renewable sources of energy is increasing which has led to advanced research in photovoltaic technology. It will not be long when every household on the planet will start using the benefits of photovoltaic technology. Australia is building the largest photovoltaic station in the world and once completed the project will be the largest manmade structure on the planet.