The principle of operation and characteristics of photoelectric converters. Scheme, description

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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RADIO ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
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Photovoltaic installations. The principle of operation and characteristics of photoelectric converters. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

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Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering / Alternative energy sources

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The sun is an important renewable and environmentally friendly source of energy. Solar energy can be converted into electrical energy using photovoltaic (solar) batteries. Such batteries are used in spacecraft, in radio beacons and ocean navigation buoys, in autonomous communication networks, as well as in calculators and electronic toys.

Photoelectric (or photovoltaic) method of converting solar energy into electrical energy is currently the most developed in scientific and practical terms. For the first time, Academician A.F. Ioffe, one of the founders of the Soviet physical school, drew attention to the prospect of its use in large-scale power engineering back in the 30s. However, at that time, the efficiency of solar cells did not exceed 1%. In subsequent decades, thanks to a significant amount of research in the field of physics and technology, this figure increased to 20-25%.

The mechanism for converting sunlight into electricity is different from other ways to generate electricity. The features of this method determine the possibilities and prospects for its use on a large scale.

With any method of generating electricity, it is necessary to have electric charges and provide a mechanism for their separation. In the induction method, free charges of metal conductors are used to generate electricity, and their separation is carried out as a result of the movement of conductors in a magnetic field.

In the photovoltaic method of generating electricity, there are no mechanical movements of structural parts. It is based on the properties of semiconductor materials and their interaction with light. In a photovoltaic cell, free carriers are formed as a result of the interaction of a semiconductor with light, and are separated under the action of an electric field that arises inside the cell. Until recently, almost all photovoltaic cells were made of crystalline silicon, but now other materials are being used more and more widely.

The phenomenon of the photoelectric effect is based on the conversion of light energy (the energy of electromagnetic radiation) into electrical energy. There are three types of photoelectric effect:

1) external - pulling out electrons from the surface of bodies under the influence of light;

2) internal - change in the electrical conductivity of semiconductors and dielectrics under the action of light;

3) locking layer - the excitation of an electromotive force at the boundary between the conductor and the light-sensitive semiconductor.

For the purpose of converting the energy of electromagnetic radiation, only the photoelectric effect of the locking layer (the photoelectric effect at the pn junction) can practically be used.

Author: Magomedov A.M.

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