Photovoltaics – basic principle © Siemens Stiftung 2020 CC BY-SA 4.0 international

Photovoltaics – basic principle

Interactive

Simulation:
Photovoltaics is the conversion of light into electrical energy. From the physics aspect it is an example of the important role that the quantization of energy also plays in the conversion of energy.

Available in: English, German, Spanish (CREA)
Type of media: Interactive (793.7 kByte)
Last update: 2021-06-25
License:

This medium is made available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 international license.

What does this mean?

How to reference this medium
Media package:
Experimento | 10+: A1 Electric current from solar cells
Experimento | 10+: A5 Properties of solar cells
Experimento | 10+: B6 Renewable energies
For interactive whiteboards: Energy conversion
Solar thermal energy and photovoltaics – energy forms with a future
Description:
Light quanta impinging on a semiconductor generate conduction electrons at higher potential due to the internal photo effect. From there they can flow away via the external circuit and can be used. This effect is dependent on the energy of the photons and on the semiconductor material. An animation shows how the electric current flows in the photocell. Graphics explaining the internal photo effect in a semiconductor and the energy diagram of the solar cell can also be displayed.

Information and ideas:
Where are photocells used for producing electric power? What efficiency can be attained?
Related media:
There are no other media directly related to this file.
Learning resource type:
Illustration
Subjects:
Physics; Technology
Grade levels:
Grade 10 to 13
School types:
Middle/high school; Vocational training
Keywords:
Electricity; Energy; Power generation; Power plant; Quantum theory; Renewable energy; Solar energy; Solar technology; Electric current ; Electric power generation; Energy conversion; Photovoltaics; Quantization; Renewable energy; Solar cell; Solar energy; Solar power plant; Whiteboard-compatible
Bibliography:
Siemens Stiftung Media Portal
Author:
MediaHouse GmbH
Rights holder:
© Siemens Stiftung 2020
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