Chapter 16: Problem 17

If the power rating of a solar cell is determined on a very rough scale by the product \(V_{O C} I_{S C}\), is the greatest rate of increase obtained at lower or higher levels of illumination? Explain your reasoning.

Short Answer

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Thus, the greatest rate of increase in power is obtained at lower levels of illumination, where both \(V_{O C}\) and \(I_{S C}\) increase substantially. At higher illumination levels, the rate of increase slows down due to the plateauing of \(V_{O C}\), even though \(I_{S C}\) continues to increase.

Step by step solution

Conceptualization

The power rating of a solar cell is proportional to the product of Open Circuit Voltage (\(V_{O C}\)) and Short Circuit Current (\(I_{S C}\)). At lower illumination levels, both \(V_{O C}\) and \(I_{S C}\) increase with increasing illumination. However, the rate of increase of \(I_{S C}\) with illumination is much higher than that of \(V_{O C}\). This is because \(V_{O C}\) depends on temperature and the bandgap of the material, while \(I_{S C}\) is directly proportional to illumination.

Examination of Solar Cell Behavior at Lower Illumination

At lower levels of illumination, both \(V_{O C}\) and \(I_{S C}\) increase; therefore, the overall power, which is the multiplication of these two values, would increase accordingly. However, since \(I_{S C}\) increases faster than \(V_{O C}\), the power increase would be more significant.

Examination of Solar Cell Behavior at Higher Illumination

At higher levels of illumination, \(I_{S C}\) will continue to increase with illumination, while \(V_{O C}\) reaches a plateau and remains nearly constant due to the saturation. As a result, the product \(V_{O C} I_{S C}\) increases more slowly at higher levels of illumination, because the increase of \(I_{S C}\) is partially compensated by the saturation of \(V_{O C}\).

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If the power rating of a solar cell is determined on a very rough scale by the product \(V_{O C} I_{S C}\), is the greatest rate of increase obtained at lower or higher levels of illumination? Explain your reasoning.

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Conceptualization

Examination of Solar Cell Behavior at Lower Illumination

Examination of Solar Cell Behavior at Higher Illumination

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