Development of Photovoltaic Power Technology

Using photovoltaic (PV) technology for electricity generation is considered a primary strategy to achieve carbon neutrality targets. Encouraged by the importance of solar cells for carbon neutrality, this chapter begins with an overview of the fundamental principles and physics of the conversion of photon energy into electricity in solar cells. Different types of solar cells are introduced. The basic structure and main components of these devices are presented, emphasizing their differences. This chapter presents fabrication methods, ranging from traditional silicon wafer-based techniques to the more advanced thin film deposition methods. The main advantages and the challenges of each PV technology are highlighted. The PV technologies market is discussed, showing that crystalline silicon solar cells dominate the market due to their established manufacturing processes, acceptable lifetime, and high efficiency though emerging technologies like perovskite solar cells, which have gained attention for their potential to offer high efficiency at lower costs. Finally, the contribution of PV panels to carbon neutrality is focused on. In addition to comparing PV CO2 emissions with those from fossil fuels, the dependency of CO2 emission on the type of solar cell is covered, revealing that different technologies have varying impacts on carbon footprint.