Sunlight shines on the semiconductor pn junction, forming a new hole-electron pair. Under the action of pn junction electric field, holes flow from N region to P region, and electrons flow from P region to N region. When the circuit is connected, a current is formed. This is the working principle of photoelectric effect solar cells.

With the continuous improvement of modern living standards, the use of nature has evaporated to the extreme, and the sun has become the backbone of our lives. In our life, the care of sunshine is indispensable. Whether it is a lighting lamp or a water heater, there are models of solar energy. So what is the principle of solar power generation? Let's get to know each other.

0 1 solar power generation There are two ways of solar power generation, one is optical-thermal-electrical conversion, and the other is optical-electrical direct conversion.

02 (1) optical-thermal-electrical-electrical conversion mode uses the thermal energy generated by solar radiation to generate electricity. Generally, the absorbed heat energy is converted into working medium steam by solar collectors, and then the steam turbine is driven to generate electricity. The former process is photothermal conversion process; The latter process is the final conversion process of thermal power into electric energy, just like ordinary thermal power generation. The disadvantages of solar thermal power generation are low efficiency and high cost. It is estimated that its investment is at least 5 ~ 10 times more expensive than that of ordinary thermal power plants.

03 (2) photoelectric direct conversion mode This mode directly converts solar radiation energy into electric energy by photoelectric effect, and the basic device of photoelectric conversion is solar cell. Solar cell is a device that directly converts solar energy into electric energy due to photovoltaic effect, and it is a semiconductor photodiode. When the sun shines on the photodiode, the photodiode will convert solar energy into electric energy and generate current. When many batteries are connected in series or in parallel, they can become a solar cell array with relatively high output power. Solar cell is a promising new power supply, which has three advantages: permanence, cleanness and flexibility. Solar cells have a long life, and as long as the sun exists, they can be used for a long time at a time. Compared with thermal power generation, solar cells will not cause environmental pollution.