Solar cell efficiency with band-gap energy

Research Field: Engineering Physics, Electronics & Mechanics

Research Content:

Due to the industrial revolution and development of a smooth life style, the energy demand has been increasing day by day. On the other hand, the energy production by fuel burning produces dangerous pollutants, such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and most significantly. For the above unsatisfactory situations, a search is going on all over the world for alternative energy sources. There are many alternative energy sources available in our society. A big advantage of solar cells; it will reduce global warming by harvesting sunlight to convert electrical energy. Therefore, solar energy is perhaps the most popular choice in this regard.

Research Results:

For thin film solar cells, improvement of efficiency should be carried out through continued development of their characteristics. In the present work, we have studied the band-gap of semiconductors and types of solar cells. After study, a relation between the band-gap and solar cell efficiency has been established. The suitable band-gaps of a pair are required to get maximum efficiency for a frequency of the solar radiation. The efficiency of a couple of extrinsic semiconductors can be calculated theoretically. The increased band-gap intersection increases the efficiency. The work may help to increase the solar cell efficiency.