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Introduction to SolarPowerfortheWorld 3
integrated circuits (ICs) are at the core of computer technology and
all other modern electronics. The Internet, Google, social networks,
and cell phones all rely ultimately on the semiconductor technology.
Additionally, we are right in the middle of the conquest of the
lighting market by light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which have made
their inroads as well into the most recent visual screens of television
sets, laptops, mobile phones, iPods and tablets, you name them. Not
long ago, television sets had screens that were traditional vacuum
tubes; they have been now replaced by the flat screens, of which
LED screens have become the latest generation. As almost everybody
on the Earth has currently access to modern communication, many
billions of semiconductor devices are globally in circulation.
PV is a part of the modern semiconductor world. Solar cells
are nothing else than semiconductor diodes. Today over 90% of
all solar cells are made from silicon, the same material that serves
for the electronic chips, the ICs. Some years ago, global silicon
consumption for chips had been already overtaken by that for PV.
PV and LED fit particularly well together. Bothareflat,lowvoltage
DC devices, one generating electricity from the Sun and
the other converting electricity into light; light and electricity are
common to both.
PV is also the driving force for modern information and communication
technology via satellites. All commercial satellites
without exception are powered by PV. Today, it is difficult to imagine
a world without reliable weather forecasts from space, direct TV
reception from satellites, intercontinental communication, GPS and
Earth observations, and so on.
Since 2010, PV has started in earnest to become mainstream
in global electric power generation and consumption. An
example is Germany, one of the world’s leading economies, where
PV currently provides already over 10% of the electric energy
consumed in some southern states. There is no reason for our
societies to complain about it; the contrary is true: PV generators are
clean and do not affect climate. They are an infinite source of power
as the Sun will shine forever! Silicon, which is commonly employed
for solar cell manufacturing, is a non-toxic product, just like simple
sand from the beach from which it is derived; moreover, silicon is
one of the most abundant chemical elements in the Earth’s crust.