Definition PV Cell

A pv cell is a  photo-voltaic cell.   These are often commonly known as solar cells.  Large groups of pv cells are organized in arrays or grids.  These groups are commonly known as solar panels.

PV Cell Solar

Solar photovoltaic cells are the heart of solar energy.  The photovoltaic cell, or pv cell directly converts light or other emissions such as thermal heat into usable energy.   The usable energy is expressed in the form of electricity which can power appliances, houses or any other powered item that has the cells attached.

How a pv cell works

Photovoltaic pv-cells are built from materials known as semiconductors such as silicon, gallium and other materials.  These materials are similar to those used in computer chips.
When sunlight or other radiation sources contact the cell it is absorbed by the semiconductor.  This is the reason that solar panels have a typically black appearance, the cells are covered in clear glass or polymers to allow light in and then are absorbed by the dark colored pv cells. 

Light hits the pv cell as a stream of particles with a forcible impact, the same energy which warms your skin by contact is transferred into the semi-conductor.   The energy of this impact hammers some electrons free and puts them in motion.    By managing electrical fields and the direction of the current, the flow of electrons is essentially channeled into an electrical stream of energy.   This stream of energy can then be applied in the same way that other electrical devices operate.   Basically the pv-cell converts the raw energy of the sunlight into a type of direct energy.

As with all devices that rely on translated energy, such as internal combustion engines or other mechanical devices, the transformation is never complete.  The actual process has natural inefficiencies.   The more efficient the solar cell is, the stronger the current that can be directly put to work.   The cells voltage which is defined by the mechanics of its electrical field, and the strength of the current define how many watts, kilowatts or joules that the pv cell can produce.

The materials used in the actual chips (pv cells) define the structure, conductivity and density of the chip.   As with any semiconductor chip, such as a computer processing chip, changes in the materials and the design create increases in utility.

Pv cell technology

Advanced technologies such as nanotech allow more perfect lattices and improvements in efficiency within the pv cell.  Materials technology is also helping create more efficient solar cells and the solar revolution is slowly taking hold.   

Wholesale Solar Panels

Solar panels can often be purchased in bulk from wholesale manufacturers.   In addition to volume discounts, this also creates uniformity in model which is useful in systems installations.  For information on costs of solar panels, wholesale solar and storage systems in the marketplace you should explore several options.  Manufacturers, panel efficiencies and other resources all vary considerably in cost, size and availability.  To place an order for a pv cell array you should be prepared to have your credit card information ready.