I-V Characteristics of Solar Cell Virtual Lab (I)

General Aim

To study the I-V characteristics of a solar cell (or PV cell) in dark and under illumination conditions.

 

Method of Solar Cell Virtual Lab

Simple circuit to study I-V with a lamp.

Theoretical Background / Context

• Solar cells are generally made from semiconducting materials, which are sensitive to structural and environmental factors, e.g, the light intensity, which depends on the power delivered by the solar cell.
• Basically, solar cells are devices that perform light-to-electricity conversion by transforming light energy into electrical energy through a process known as the photovoltaic effect.
• Solar energy conversion through the photovoltaic (PV) effect is a three-step process:

1. Generation of electron hole pairs.

2. Separation of electrons and holes.

3. Collection of separated carriers

Principle of Work

• The solar cell is connected in a series circuit consisting of variable resistance, dc battery, ammeter and voltmeter that is connected in parallel to the cell. 
• By continuously varying the value of the load resistance, we can obtain the I-V characteristics at different bias voltage and light intensity.