Solar cell Efficiency & thermal ?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the efficiency of solar cells in relation to temperature, specifically questioning whether a temperature of 55°C is optimal. Participants explore the relationship between cell temperature, irradiance, and material properties, considering the complexities involved in optimizing solar cell performance.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions if 55°C is the best temperature for solar cells.
  • Another participant asserts that increasing temperature generally decreases the performance of solar cells.
  • A participant highlights the complexity of the relationship between cell temperature and irradiance, noting that efficiency typically decreases with increased temperature when irradiance is fixed.
  • There is a suggestion that the optimal scenario would involve maximizing irradiance while minimizing cell temperature, although this may involve trade-offs in energy expenditure.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the optimal temperature for solar cells, with some suggesting that lower temperatures are preferable while others question the validity of a specific temperature being optimal. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best temperature for solar cell efficiency.

Contextual Notes

The discussion lacks specific definitions of "best" in terms of temperature and efficiency, and there are unresolved assumptions regarding the conditions under which solar cells operate, such as the impact of different materials and environmental factors.

ze-ro
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Is 55°C best status for solar cells?
 
Science news on Phys.org
Where did you get this from? Increasing temperature generally decreases performance of solar cells as far as i understand.
 
how much is the best ?
 
It's complicated because the cell temperature and irradiance (energy density of the sun's rays) are linked assuming no artificial heating or cooling of the cell. In general if you heat a cell when the irradiance is fixed the efficiency will decrease. It also depends on the materials used in cell construction though.

Your question is too general to really give an answer, could you be more specific or give any more background to your question?
 
runningman97 said:
It's complicated because the cell temperature and irradiance (energy density of the sun's rays) are linked assuming no artificial heating or cooling of the cell. In general if you heat a cell when the irradiance is fixed the efficiency will decrease. It also depends on the materials used in cell construction though.

This is all true. But to try to answer your question, the colder the better. So what would be good is to make the incident light as intense as possible, but while keeping the cell as cold as possible. Now depending on how you aim to do this, you just might be spending too much power compared to what you are generating. Clearly there are trade-offs.
 

Similar threads

Undergrad Thermodynamic cycle of a solar cell
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
How do copper oxide solar cells work?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
High School Would isolating the Solar System prevent its heat death?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Undergrad Nuclear power plant vs coal power plant efficiency
  • · Replies 32 ·
2
Replies
32
Views
6K
Perovskite semiconductors for solar photovoltaic cells
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
High School PV cell charge separation by an external electric field
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
4K
Undergrad How do emissivity and absorptivity affect thermal imaging results?"
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
4K
Why do monocrystalline solar cells have rounded/cropped edges?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
Cheapest, easiest solar cell manufacturing methods on the Moon
  • · Replies 25 ·
Replies
25
Views
3K
Solar heat gain on a typical solar cell
  • · Replies 27 ·
Replies
27
Views
5K