Thin-film cells are a type of photovoltaic cell used to generate electricity from any form of light. They have the potential to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar energy. The production of thin-film cells requires a sterile environment and the substance used to make the film is reduced to a liquid solution. The benefits of thin-film cells have reinvigorated interest in solar energy and advocates hope it will achieve grid parity.
Thin-film cells are photovoltaic cells used in the production of electricity from light. Photovoltaic (PV) cells are more commonly known as solar cells; While sunlight is the most common source, photovoltaic cells can create energy from any form of light. Solar panels use large arrays of photovoltaic cells to generate electricity from sunlight, but traditional panels don’t produce energy as efficiently as other sources like coal. Thin-film cells have the potential to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar energy. The technology was perfected in the early 21st century.
The photovoltaic effect was discovered in the 19th century, although the first true solar cells weren’t built until the 1950s. They work by using photons, or light particles, to agitate electrons. These electrons are then directed into a circuit, becoming usable electricity. Since the 1950s various materials have been used to create solar cells, increasing their efficiency and reducing production costs. Government incentives and concerns about the environmental effects of fossil fuel use have sparked increased interest in solar power generation worldwide.
Traditional solar cells can be bulky and expensive to produce. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, photovoltaic cell designers began to look into thin-film technology. This developing science allows for the creation of layers of material microscopically thick, sometimes as narrow as the width of a single atom. Initially used to power small electronic devices such as toys and calculators, thin-film cells were soon in production for full-scale solar power generation.
The production of thin-film cells requires a sterile environment, also known as a clean room. The substance used to make the film, usually a semiconductor material such as silicon, is reduced to a liquid solution. The plate on which the film is to be deposited receives a negative electric charge. The liquid substance, which carries a positive charge, is then sprayed near the plate, dissolving into tiny airborne particles. These particles are attracted to the sheet with its opposite charge, adhering to it in a layer of uniform thickness, which subsequently solidifies into the thin coating film.
The benefits of thin-film cells have reinvigorated interest in solar energy. Solar technology is already the fastest growing method of producing energy on the planet. Inexpensive, lightweight and efficient thin-film photovoltaic cells are expected to make solar energy more attractive as an alternative to traditional power generation. Solar advocates hope the developing technology will achieve their goal of grid parity, making solar power as cheap and efficient as traditional methods of generating energy.
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