What is the photovoltaic effect?

The photovoltaic effect is the process by which the electrical current in the form of voltage is created when electromagnetic radiation is exposed to a certain material. Using solar cells, photovoltaic effect occurs when the very short wavelength of sunlight affects the matter and the electrons are excited. Electromagnetic radiation is emitted from the solar panel and collected by other material. This ejection of electrons results in the accumulation of the voltage energy that can be stored in the battery cell for later use. Two electrodes are used to collect voltages, which can be transferred to the power grid. The visible light creates a photovoltaic effect when it affects alkaline metals, ultraviolet light creates it in other metals, using extreme ultraviolet light for non -metal. This concept was first observed in 1902 by Philipp Eduard Anton Vonlenard, finding that different colors of light, also known as frequencies, emit different levels of electrons. Previously the theory of waves of light from pitsESE Clerk Maxwell said the intensity of radiation would create proportional electron energy. This new theory explained that the photons were responsible for creating electrons and functioning more like individual particles than constant waves.

physicist A.E. Becquerel recognized the concept of the photovoltaic effect of sunlight in 1839, but his understanding was limited. In 1883, Charles Fritts built the first solar article using selenium semiconductor coated in a thin layer of gold. This first use of the solar cell was only one percent effective. Only in 1954 Bell Laboratories developed a practical way of using solar energy.

The way the photovoltaic effect is used using solar cells is very basic. Essentially, sunlight photons affect the solar panel and are absorbed by the material. Negatively charged electrons in the material arediscarded from atoms, which then produce electricity. This situation is controlled by the fact that the electrons move only in one direction in the panel, causing a backward effect in which positively charged particles flow in the opposite direction. At both of these events, a direct current of electricity may be used from an electromagnetic reaction.

Photovoltaic effect is essential for many processes in modern life. In addition to creating energy for general purposes, solar cells are necessary for a spacecraft used by NASA and other space agencies. The principles of technology are also used in digital cameras in the form of devices associated with chargers and electroscopes that identify static electricity.