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VARIATION OF EFFICIENCY WITH

BAND-GAP AND
TEMPERATURE

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 EFFECT OF
• TEMPERATURE
• Like all other semiconductor devices, solar cells are sensitive to
temperature. Increases in temperature reduce the band gap of a
semiconductor, thereby effecting most of the semiconductor material
parameters. The decrease in the band gap of a semiconductor with
increasing temperature can be viewed as increasing the energy of the
electrons in the material.
• Lower energy is therefore needed to break the bond. In the bond
model of a semiconductor band gap, reduction in the bond energy also
reduces the band gap. Therefore increasing the temperature reduces the
band gap.
• In a solar cell, the parameter most affected by an increase in
temperature is the open-circuit voltage. The impact of increasing
temperature is shown in the figure below.
•

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IV
CHARACTERISTICS

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BAND
GAP

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 EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON
A SOLAR P/N JUNCTION
• When crystalline silicon solar cells heat up (as on a hot summer
day), all the atoms (including their electrons) vibrate faster and
therefore the ability of the "built-in voltage" to separate the
electrons and holes is reduced.
• The random kinetic energy due to the heat becomes a significant
factor governing the motion of the electrons and holes.
• The solar cell temperature will normally be higher than the air
temperature because the panels are black and sitting in the sun.
• A Normal Operating Cell Temperature (NOCT) is defined as the
cell temperature when the ambient temperature is 20º Celsius
and the sun's insolation (captured radiation) is 800 watts per
square meter. NOTCs are usually in the range of 42ºC to 46ºC.

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 New Solar
• Floating
Applications
Solar. Another way to address land use concerns
associated with wide scale solar is to erect solar plants on the
water, since over 70% of the Earth's surface is covered in water.
Some researchers, including a French firm called Ciel et Terre, are
experimenting with this technology. The company has projects set
up in France, Japan, and England and other parts of the world are
also piloting projects including a project in India and California in
the U.S.
• Space Based Solar. Scientists are resurrecting a technology that
was first tested over forty years ago in which space-based
satellites capture sunlight and convert it into microwave energy
that is then beamed back to earth. This type of technology
promises to capture significant more amount of sunlight (nearly
ninety percent) since satellites can be positioned to optimize light
capture round the clock. India, China and Japan are investing
heavily in these technologies right now.

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