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Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization - Office of ...

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SOLAR ELECTRICITY<br />

BACKGROUND OF PHOTOVOLTAICS<br />

A diagram <strong>of</strong> a p-n junction photovoltaic (PV) solar cell is shown in Figure 66. The solar<br />

spectrum at air mass 1.5 (AM1.5) (solar intensity at Earth’s surface with sun at 42º elevation<br />

from the horizon) is shown in Figure 67a; the maximum conversion efficiency <strong>of</strong> single-bandgap<br />

solar cells as a function <strong>of</strong> the semiconductor band gap, assuming full electron-phonon<br />

relaxation, is shown in Figure 67b.<br />

Figure 66 A p-n junction PV solar cell<br />

187

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