Solar Photovoltaic Systems

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY WARANGAL
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
ME 440 – ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY

(3-0-0 = 3 Credits)
PART 7 – SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS
Final Year, 1st Sem, B.Tech . (OPEN ELECTIVE)
Dr. CHANDRAMOHAN V.P.

Professor
Dept. of Mechanical Engg., NIT Warangal
Solar Photovoltaics - Introduction
❖ Solar Photovoltaics (PV) is a term which covers the conversion of light into
electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a
phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry.
❖ The devices used in photovoltaic conversion are called solar cells.
❖ When solar radiation falls on these devices it is converted directly into dc

electricity.
❖ A typical photovoltaic system employs solar panels, each comprising a number of

solar cells, which generate electrical power.
❖ PV installations may be ground-mounted, rooftop mounted or wall mounted. The

mount may be fixed, or use a solar tracker to follow the sun across the sky.
Advantages:
❖ No moving parts, so not much maintenance cost.
❖ They are satisfactorily work with small beam or diffuse radiation.
Dr. Chandramohan V.P./Prof./MED/NIT Warangal

Limitations:
❖ Costly
❖ Little magnitude of power generated in an installation.
Single crystal Silicon cell:
➢ The majority of silicon solar cells are fabricated

from silicon wafers, which may be either single-
crystalline or multi-crystalline.
➢ Single-crystalline wafers typically have better

material parameters but are also more
expensive.
➢ Crystalline silicon has an ordered crystal

structure, with each atom ideally lying in a pre-
determined position.
➢ Crystalline silicon exhibits predictable and uniform behaviour but because of the
careful and slow manufacturing processes required, it is also the most expensive
type of silicon.

➢ The regular arrangement of silicon atoms in single-
crystalline silicon produces a well-defined band
structure.
➢ Each silicon atom has four electrons in the outer

shell.
➢ Pairs of electrons from neighboring atoms are

shared so each atom shares four bonds with the
neighboring atoms.

Description and principle of working of Single crystal Silicon (SCS) cell:
❖ First solar cells were made in the

fifties from single crystal silicon
(SCS).
❖ SCS cells are thin wafers about

250 μm in thickness, sliced from a
single crystal of p-type Doped
silicon.
❖ A shallow junction is formed at

one end by diffusion of the n-type impurity.
❖ Metal contacts are attached to the front and back side of the cell.
❖ On the front side, the contact is in the form off a meal grid with fingers which permit
the Sun light to go through.
❖ On the back side, the contact completely covers the surface.

❖ Manufactures have their own
techniques for producing
inexpensive and reliable
contacts.
❖ Generally for the front contacts,

screen printing of a paste
consisting of 70%
silver, an organic binder
and sintered glass.
➢ For the back contact, a paste containing aluminium is screen printed.
➢ The cell is placed in a furnace at a temperature of 600 to 700 °C so that the metal
in the paste diffuse both at the front as well on the back to make contact with the
silicon.
➢ An anti-reflection coating of silicon nitride or titanium dioxide, having a thickness of

about 0.1 μm is applied on the top surface to complete the cell.

➢ A typical cell develops a voltage of 0.5 to 0.7 V and a current density of 20 – 40
mA/cm2.
➢ In order to get higher voltage and

currents, individual cells are fixed side
by side on a suitable back up board and
connected in series and parallel to form
a module.
Solar Cell Structure
➢ A solar cell is an electronic device
which directly converts sunlight into
electricity.
➢ Light shining on the solar

cell produces both a current
and a voltage to generate electric
power.
➢ This process requires firstly, a material in which the absorption of light raises an
electron to a higher energystate, and secondly, the movement of this higher
energy electron from the solar cell into an external circuit.

➢ The electron then dissipates its energy in the external circuit and returns to the solar
cell.
➢ A variety of materials and processes can potentially satisfy the requirements for
photovoltaic energy conversion, but in practice nearly all photovoltaic energy
conversion uses semiconductor materials in the form of a p-n junction.
Working Principle:
❖ In order to generate power, a
voltage must be generated as well
as a current.
❖ Voltage is generated in a solar cell
by a process known as
the
"photovoltaic effect".
❖ The collection of light-generated
carriers by the p-n junction causes
a movement of electrons to the
ntype side and holes to the p-type side of the junction.
❑ Under short circuit conditions, there is no build up of charge, as the carriers exit the
device as light-generated current.

❑ However, if the light-generated carriers are prevented from leaving the solar cell, then
the collection of light-generated carriers causes an increase in the number of
electrons on the n-type side of the p-n junction and a similar increase in holes in the
p-type material.
❑ This separation of charge creates an electric field at the junction which is in opposition
to that already existing at the junction, thereby reducing the net electric field.
➢ Since the electric field represents a barrier to the flow of the forward bias diffusion
current, the reduction of the electric field increases the diffusion current.
➢ A new equilibrium is reached in which a voltage exists across the p-n junction.
➢ The current from the solar cell is the difference between IL and the forward bias
current.
➢ Under open circuit conditions, the forward bias of the junction increases to a point
where the light-generated current is exactly balanced by the forward bias
diffusion current, and the net current is zero.

➢ The voltage required to cause these two currents to balance is called the "open-
circuit voltage". The following animation shows the carrier flows at shortcircuit
and open-circuit conditions.

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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY WARANGAL

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

ME 440 – ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY

Final Year, 1st Sem, B.Tech . (OPEN ELECTIVE)

Dr. CHANDRAMOHAN V.P.

❖ The devices used in photovoltaic conversion are called solar cells.

❖ When solar radiation falls on these devices it is converted directly into dc

❖ A typical photovoltaic system employs solar panels, each comprising a number of

❖ PV installations may be ground-mounted, rooftop mounted or wall mounted. The

Dr. Chandramohan V.P./Prof./MED/NIT Warangal

Single crystal Silicon cell:

➢ The majority of silicon solar cells are fabricated

➢ Single-crystalline wafers typically have better

➢ Crystalline silicon has an ordered crystal

Dr. Chandramohan V.P./Prof./MED/NIT Warangal

➢ Each silicon atom has four electrons in the outer

➢ Pairs of electrons from neighboring atoms are

Dr. Chandramohan V.P./Prof./MED/NIT Warangal

❖ First solar cells were made in the

❖ SCS cells are thin wafers about

❖ A shallow junction is formed at

❖ On the back side, the contact completely covers the surface.

Dr. Chandramohan V.P./Prof./MED/NIT Warangal

❖ Generally for the front contacts,

➢ For the back contact, a paste containing aluminium is screen printed.

➢ An anti-reflection coating of silicon nitride or titanium dioxide, having a thickness of

Dr. Chandramohan V.P./Prof./MED/NIT Warangal

➢ In order to get higher voltage and

➢ Light shining on the solar

Dr. Chandramohan V.P./Prof./MED/NIT Warangal

Dr. Chandramohan V.P./Prof./MED/NIT Warangal

Dr. Chandramohan V.P./Prof./MED/NIT Warangal

Dr. Chandramohan V.P./Prof./MED/NIT Warangal

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