Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation University Textbook

What is the Handbook of Photovoltaic Science & Engineering?

The most comprehensive, authoritative and widely cited reference on photovoltaic solar energy Fully revised and updated, the Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering, Second Edition incorporates the substantial technological advances and research developments in photovoltaics since its previous release. All topics relating to the … Show all

Why should you read the book photovoltaic solar energy?

Moreover, the book gives insights into possible future developments in the field of photovoltaics. The book builds on the success of Volume 1 of Photovoltaic Solar Energy, which was published by Wiley in January 2017. As science and technology is progressing fast in some areas of photovoltaics, several topics needed to be readdressed.

What are the aspects of a photovoltaic system?

Several aspects such as cell and module manufacture, characterization, testing, reliability and system design are described taking into account commercial SPV manufacturing plants. Photovoltaic applications are explained for different types of SPV systems: from grid-connected to stand-alone, with plenty of solved examples and exercises for readers.

Who discovered the photovoltaic effect?

In 1876, the British natural philosopher William Grylls Adams together with his student Richard Evans Day demonstrated the photovoltaic effect in a junction based on platinum and the semiconductor selenium, however with a very poor performance.

Are thin-film solar cells suitable for terawatt scale photovoltaics?

For terawatt scale photovoltaics, solar cells should be based on abundant elements only. Thin-film PV technologies easily can fill a book on its own, see for example the book edited by Poortmans and Arkhipov . In this chapter we therefore only can give a general introduction into the different thin-film technologies.

What was the first solar cell based on III-V semiconductor materials?

This was the first demonstrator of a solar cell based on III-V semiconductor materials that we will discuss in Section 13.2. In 1976, Dave E. Carlson and Chris R. Wronski developed the first thin-film photovoltaic devices based on amorphous silicon at RCA Laborat-ories. We will discuss this technology in Section 13.3.