Tutorial: Solar Cell Operation

MIT 2.627 Fundamentals of Photovoltaics, Fall 2011
View the complete course: http://ocw.mit.edu/2-627F11
Instructor: Joe Sullivan

This video summarizes how a solar cell turns light-generated mobile charges into electricity, highlighting the cell’s physical structure with layers with different dopants, and the roles of electric fields and diffusion of holes and electrons.

License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
More information at http://ocw.mit.edu/terms
More courses at http://ocw.mit.edu

Making your own DIY solar panel is explained including DIY tabbing of solar cells for panels. This solar training video shows step by step training for people new to solar tabbing wire and a flux pens and soldering irons.
Visit http://www.greenpowerscience.com/ for more information on building your own solar panels.
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40 thoughts on “Tutorial: Solar Cell Operation”

  1. Ok,i have a question,why doesn't slicon doped material run out of electrons and holes.If it constantly gives of an electron where does it get new ones.Someone,answer please. 🙂

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  2. Why holes can diffuse to the N side from the P side but not electrons? What will happen if N side is illuminated?

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  3. +Akash Singh Correct me if I am wrong, but how good the cell can perform depends on the rate of electron-hole pair generation, not the amount of free electrons under no-light. The cell simply reach the equilibrium point and no current is generated.

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  4. Nice video! Does P-type generate holes and electrons under photo-excitation? Does the cell generate current with no light due to dark-current and/or thermal-excitation?

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  5. After connecting the wire, the rest electrons and holes neutralize each other, right? after neutralization of all the charges, does current flow stop?

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  6. Why use only semiconductors in making a solar cell…? I mean, metals/conductors have even lesser energy gap for electrons to be free… we can get more current.. no??

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  7. (at)4.27 he was saying that the silicon created hole. Where the heck does hole come from sillicon?  And also he was saying the hole and electron will cancel each other but on this circumstance the hole and electron don't cancel. What a confusion.

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  8. On the "hole-y" side when a silicon atom is struck by a photon I assume the electron would flow the other way, but would this movement temporarily slow the flow, due to any E-m interactions?

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  9. Your hands are shaking like mine do after too much caffeine. I wouldn't dare attempt this after such. I would have a panic attack from worrying about breaking a cell lol.

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  10. jow dan and denise, have a really good 2017!
    and please keep making this videoabletastic gold!
    and of course we gonna try em out and share em! 😀
    PS lots of my freinds already have self build cells and panels! <3

    Reply
  11. Tomato or tamato same thing, they are just trying to help you. You know what they meant, so go melt them together. & Post your video making one!

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  12. I'm sure someone has already bought this up, however, it's a fucking SOL-DERING iron, as it's written, not a fucking SOD-DERING iron, other than that, great video, cute wife…

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  13. prophet mohammed said
    If man dies, his deeds stop except three; a continuous charity, knowledge that is benefited by, and a good child that prays Allah for him.
    this job is a knowledge that is benefited by

    Reply
  14. Hi i have a question . please
    I have 60 cells. each cells has ( Vmp: 0.523 V Imp: 5.215A power:2.8W)
    i want to set up them on 6 column and 10 row to get (31V 8.55A 265W)
    i have a hard time to do this for couple days . can you help me to this please?

    Reply
  15. Thanks for the video but what about the container in which the cells are kept? What can you use? My understanding is that it is the most expensive thing.

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  16. thank you for sharing this video i have a question for you where do i order those cell Monocrystalline also the tabbing wire and a flux pens and soldering irons please do

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  17. 2 panels connected parallel with each panel having 20 modules. Each module gives 24 volts. What is the total voltage of the 2 panels? 24, 48, 240, 480?

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  18. communication thoughts being on internet conscience being persuaded influence in education we need this earth 500 billion years we be waiting for sun to evolve into sun reach some present orbit if design everything might doe calculations.

    Reply
  19. Can u make me a two 1000 watt plug and play I can just plug into a dedicated outlet to hep save some $$$ on my bills? Hit me back up dude!

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  20. I feel like you've been doing this a while, but you still don't know what your doing. Video editing sucks too. especially for 2009. what is the below standard tv quality. looks like you recorded it with a moto razer form 2006

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  21. Why do you have to run the tabbing wire across the entire front? are the cells not already joined in the front from top to bottom? Can you simply bridge the tabbing wire from the bottom across the back of the 2nd cell to the top face of the 3rd cell?

    Reply

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