Photoelectric converters. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering / Alternative energy sources

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Installations of this type are based on the principle of knocking out electrons from semiconductor materials by light quanta. Radiant energy is converted into electrical energy. In modern solar energy, semiconductor converters made of chemically pure crystalline silicon are widely used. Silicon is a widespread element in the earth's crust; sand, quartz is silicon dioxide SiO2. The production of pure silicon at the end of the XNUMXth century made it possible to launch the production of a number of semiconductor devices, in particular processors for modern computers. High-tech science-intensive industries in the United States are concentrated in the "silicon" (silicon) valley in the state of California.

The creation of solar energy sources is included in the programs of such major world concerns as Siemens, Sony, Hitachi. The leaders in the field of solar energy on silicon converters are the USA, Germany, Denmark, Japan, Switzerland. The cost of silicon photovoltaic converters over the past 40 years has decreased by 40 times, 1 kW of installed capacity at photovoltaic solar power plants costs about $2500.

A solar cell consists of two interconnected silicon wafers. Light falling on the top plate knocks electrons out of it, sending them to the bottom plate. This is how the EMF of the element is created. Elements connected in series are a source of direct current. Several combined photovoltaic converters represent a solar battery. The efficiency of converting radiant energy into electrical energy in modern installations reaches 13,17%; under laboratory conditions, an efficiency of 40% has been achieved on some semiconductors.

The power of SPP with photoelectric converters is determined by the relation

W, (3.3)

where - efficiency of photoelectric converters (changes in modern silicon cells within 0,12.0,17), - their total area, m2.

The use of photovoltaic solar power plants began with space technology, where cost played a secondary role. The "wings" of the Mir station's photocells had an area of ​​hundreds of square meters. The Lunokhod, powered by solar batteries, worked on the Moon for more than a year. At the American Skylab station, a battery with a total area of ​​130 m provided power supply with a power of 10,5 kW.

Nowadays, photovoltaic converter modules are produced in a number of countries for the needs of large-scale energy. Single solar installations of this type in the US have reached 10 MW, with power peaking when the sun is at its zenith, close to the time when daily energy consumption in the sunny southern subtropical states of America peaks due to the operation of air conditioners.

An important advantage of photovoltaic solar power plants is very low operating costs - modules protected from dust and precipitation by glass or film operate for decades without maintenance. In cloudy weather, the power of this type of solar power plant is somewhat reduced, although less than for thermoelectric installations. It should be expected that in the southern solar regions of the Russian Federation, with mass production and a decrease in the cost of silicon modules, such installations will be competitive in comparison with traditional ones operating on growing fossil fuels.

Projects of satellite photovoltaic solar power plants are being developed. It is supposed to launch and mount them in geostationary orbits at the equator, at an altitude of 35800 km, so that they will constantly "hang" over the same place. Solar cells with a surface of tens of km2 are placed on a thin synthetic film oriented perpendicular to the sun's rays. Electric current from solar cells is converted in special generators into microwave radiation, which is directed to the Earth by an onboard antenna. The transmitting antenna has a diameter of about 1 km, while the receiving antenna for microwave radiation on Earth is about 7 km. The receiving station converts microwave radiation into industrial frequency current and voltage. The implementation of this project, unique in concept and scale, will require huge funds and a large amount of scientific and technical developments.

In Russia, the main scientific developer of photoelectric converters is the Physico-Technical Institute. A.F. Ioffe in St. Petersburg. The director of this institute, Nobel laureate academician Zh.I. Alferov, is an ardent supporter of solar energy. At the Ryazan plant of ceramic-metal devices, the production of SPP modules of various standard sizes and various technical characteristics has been launched. Solar photomultipliers are manufactured by NPO Kvant (Moscow), CJSC Telecom-STV in Zelenograd, Moscow Region. The production of "solar silicon" - the basic material for photoelectric converters - is being mastered. 1 kg of silicon at SPP per year generates such an amount of electricity that conventional thermal power plants require 2,5 tons of oil to produce, and the service life of a silicon converter is 30 years or more.

Author: Labeish V.G.

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