What is the lifetime of solar cells?

According to different working principles of different kinds of solar cells, the lifetime is different.

(1) silicon solar cells

Silicon solar cells are divided into monocrystalline silicon solar cells, polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cells and amorphous silicon thin film solar cells.

Monocrystalline silicon solar cell conversion efficiency is highest, technology is also the most mature. The highest conversion efficiency of 23% in the laboratory, scale production of efficiency is 15%.In large scale application and industrial production is still dominant, but as a result of single crystal silicon cost price is high, reduce the cost of its very difficult, in order to save silicon materials, development of the polycrystalline silicon thin film and amorphous silicon thin film as monocrystalline silicon solar battery replacement products.

Compared with monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cells, low cost, and efficiency higher than that of amorphous silicon thin-film batteries, the laboratory the highest conversion efficiency is 18%, the industrial scale production of conversion efficiency of 10%. Therefore, polycrystalline silicon thin-film batteries will soon dominate in the solar electric city court.

Amorphous silicon thin film solar cells, the cost is low light weight, high conversion efficiency, convenient for mass production, has great potential. But subject to the material cause of the photoelectric effect efficiency recession, stability is not high, direct impact on its practical application. If we can further solve the problem of stability problems and improve the conversion rate, then, can of amorphous silicon solar battery is definitely one of the main products of development of solar cells.

(2) multivariate compound thin film solar cells

Multivariate compound thin film solar cell material for inorganic salts, mainly including gallium arsenide III - V compounds, cadmium sulfide, cadmium supplied and copper Gu selenium thin-film batteries, etc.

Cadmium sulfide, cadmium telluride, the efficiency of polycrystalline silicon thin-film batteries is amorphous silicon thin film solar cells with high efficiency, the cost was lower than those of single crystal silicon cell, and also easy to mass production, but because there are highly toxic, cadmium can cause serious pollution to the environment, therefore, is not a crystalline silicon solar cell is the most ideal alternative products.

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) -v compound III battery conversion efficiency can reach 28%, GaAs compound material has ideal optical band gap and higher absorption efficiency, irradiation resistance is strong, is not sensitive to heat, suitable for manufacturing high efficiency single cells. But GaAs material is not cheap, and thus to a great extent, limits the use of GaAs cell.

Copper indium selenium thin-film batteries (CIS) for photoelectric conversion, there is no light to recession, conversion efficiency and polysilicon. Has the advantages of low cost, good performance and simple technology, will become the future development direction of the solar cell is one of the most important. The only problem is that the source of the material, the indium and selenium are relatively rare element, therefore, the development of this kind of battery is necessarily limited.

(3) polymer multilayer modified electrodes type solar cell

Replace the inorganic materials with organic polymer is just beginning to a solar battery research direction. Due to the flexible organic materials well, make easy, wide material source, the cost advantages of the bottom, thus for large-scale use of solar energy, to provide cheap electricity is of great significance. But with organic materials preparation of solar cell research just beginning, whether it's service life, or the battery efficiency cannot be compared with inorganic materials, especially in silicon. Can become a practical product, further research has yet to be.

(4) nanocrystalline solar cells

The photoelectric efficiency steady at more than 10%, only for silicon solar electricity production costs

Solar energy battery life for about ten years, change is very convenient.

Solar cell is also known as "solar cells" or "cell", is a kind of electricity generation by using sunlight directly photoelectric semiconductor wafer. It is as long as the light that moment can be output voltage and current in the case of a loop. In physics, called solar PV (Photovoltaic and photo light, voltaic volts, abbreviated as PV), hereinafter referred to as Photovoltaic (PV).

The solar cell is through the photoelectric effect or photochemical effect of the light energy into electricity directly to the device. Work with the photoelectric effect of film type solar cell as the mainstream, while the implementation of the work in photochemical effect solar cells is still in its infancy.

All kinds of solar cells based on the working principle of life is different

(1) silicon solar cells

Silicon solar cell is divided into monocrystalline silicon solar cells, polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cells and amorphous silicon thin film solar cells.

Monocrystalline silicon solar cell conversion efficiency is highest, technology is also the most mature. The highest conversion efficiency of 23% in the laboratory, scale production of efficiency is 15%. In large scale application and industrial production is still dominant, but as a result of single crystal silicon cost price is high, reduce the cost of its very difficult, in order to save silicon materials, development of the polycrystalline silicon thin film and amorphous silicon thin film as monocrystalline silicon solar battery replacement products.

Compared with monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cells, low cost, and efficiency higher than that of amorphous silicon thin-film batteries, the laboratory the highest conversion efficiency is 18%, the industrial scale production of conversion efficiency of 10%. Therefore, polycrystalline silicon thin-film batteries will soon dominate in the solar electric city court.

Amorphous silicon thin film solar cells, the cost is low light weight, high conversion efficiency, convenient for mass production, has great potential. But subject to the material cause of the photoelectric effect efficiency recession, stability is not high, direct impact on its practical application. If we can further solve the problem of stability problems and improve the conversion rate, then, can of amorphous silicon solar battery is definitely one of the main products of development of solar cells.

(2) multivariate compound thin film solar cells

Multivariate compound thin film solar cell material for inorganic salts, mainly including gallium arsenide III - V compounds, cadmium sulfide, cadmium supplied and copper Gu selenium thin-film batteries, etc.

Cadmium sulfide, cadmium telluride, the efficiency of polycrystalline silicon thin-film batteries is amorphous silicon thin film solar cells with high efficiency, the cost was lower than those of single crystal silicon cell, and also easy to mass production, but because there are highly toxic, cadmium can cause serious pollution to the environment, therefore, is not a crystalline silicon solar cell is the most ideal alternative products.

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) -v compound III battery conversion efficiency can reach 28%, GaAs compound material has ideal optical band gap and higher absorption efficiency, irradiation resistance is strong, is not sensitive to heat, suitable for manufacturing high efficiency single cells. But GaAs material is not cheap, and thus to a great extent, limits the use of GaAs cell.

Copper indium selenium thin-film batteries (CIS) for photoelectric conversion, there is no light to recession, conversion efficiency and polysilicon. Has the advantages of low cost, good performance and simple technology, will become the future development direction of the solar cell is one of the most important. The only problem is that the source of the material, the indium and selenium are relatively rare element, therefore, the development of this kind of battery is necessarily limited.

(3) polymer multilayer modified electrodes type solar cell

Replace the inorganic materials with organic polymer is just beginning to a solar battery research direction. Due to the flexible organic materials well, make easy, wide material source, the cost advantages of the bottom, thus for large-scale use of solar energy, to provide cheap electricity is of great significance. But with organic materials preparation of solar cell research just beginning, whether it's service life, or the battery efficiency cannot be compared with inorganic materials, especially in silicon. Can become a practical product, further research has yet to be.

(4) nanocrystalline solar cells

Nanometer TiO2 crystal chemical energy solar cell is newly developed; the advantage is its cheap cost and simple process and stable performance. Its photoelectric efficiency is stable over 10%, production costs only 1/5 ~ 1/10 of silicon solar cell. Life can reach more than 20 years.

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