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How Solar Silicon Produces Energy PDF   E-mail
Written by Anna Jones   
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
The main usage for solar silicon found in a solar cell is to change the light into electricity. Solar energy is being used more and more as it is renewable energy source and does not cost anything in order to use. You also do not produce any harmful emissions when converting sunlight into energy and you will quickly recover the investment you made when using solar power.
by AnnaJones


The main usage for solar silicon found in a solar cell is to change the light into electricity. Solar energy is being used more and more as it is renewable energy source and does not cost anything in order to use. You also do not produce any harmful emissions when converting sunlight into energy and you will quickly recover the investment you made when using solar power.

Many homes will supplement their power with solar panels and new buildings tend to have solar panels designed into the power structure. You can save a lot of money on your electricity bills by incorporating solar power into your home or building. You also are eligible for substantial tax rebates by using a source of renewable energy.

Much of the current work in solar energy is looking into creating high efficiency cells. So you get the maximum conversion between sunlight and watts produced. The best types of semiconductors are monocrystalline solar cells though this only has a conversion rate of about 30%. You also will get a complete return on your investment within a year or two depending on the size of your solar system.

The best types of surfaces for high efficiency are monocrystalline silicon. In general you can expect to get your original investment back within one to two years.

The process you want for solar power is for the light to be absorbed. When light is absorbed electrons become excited and will move from an area of high concentration to low concentration which creates an energy gradient.

This energy gradient occurs because of the two different silicon layers found in a semiconductor. These layers tend to be called a p-n junction as a layer of p type silicon which has a high concentration of electrons is in contact with a layer of n type with a low concentration of electrons. As the electrons move between the two layers you generate electricity.

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