Solar Cell

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Solar Cell

A solar cell is the basic building block of a solar panel. These cells generate electricity when exposed to the sun via the photovoltaic effect, first discovered by Edmund Becquerel in 1839. They are cut from crystalline silicon into wafer thin slices, which can then be linked together to form a solar panel.

While the solar cell has been around for well over a century now, it hasn’t been until the last couple of decades that their potential has been truly investigated. This may be in part due to the perceived abundance of fossil fuels negating the potential for this type of energy, but mainly it is because until recently we lacked the technology to make them a viable source of electricity.

Today’s technology has greatly improved the performance of the average solar cell. High-efficiency cells are being created that are capable of generating much more electricity than anything that’s come before them. As solar technology improves, there is little doubt that these cells will be used extensively for both residential and commercial power.

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A solar cell is the basic building block of a solar panel. These cells generate electricity when exposed to the sun via the photovoltaic effect, first discovered by Edmund Becquerel in 1839. They are cut from crystalline silicon into wafer thin slices, which can then be linked together to form a solar panel.

While the solar cell has been around for well over a century now, it hasn’t been until the last couple of decades that their potential has been truly investigated. This may be in part due to the perceived abundance of fossil fuels negating the potential for this type of energy, but mainly it is because until recently we lacked the technology to make them a viable source of electricity.

Today’s technology has greatly improved the performance of the average solar cell. High-efficiency cells are being created that are capable of generating much more electricity than anything that’s come before them. As solar technology improves, there is little doubt that these cells will be used extensively for both residential and commercial power.