Question: what are the advantages to having more efficient solar cells?

Paul Coxon answered on 12 Mar 2014:

Hi Purdysohma, this is a great question!

There are lots of advantages to having more efficient photovoltaic solar cells.

The sun throws out so much light towards Earth that if we could capture it all, most of our energy problems could be easily solved. In fact, it’d just take a small area of Earth covered in solar cells to meet the entire planet’s energy needs. An area the size of Vermont state in the US (one of the smaller states) covered in solar panels could meet all Earth’s energy demands.

Most solar cells are made from layers of semiconducting material, usually silicon. When light shines on the solar cell surface it creates an electric field across the layers. The more intense the light, the more electricity is produced. Already there are massive solar farms in US and Spanish deserts making use of the large amount of sunshine there. We even have solar farms in the UK.

We can make solar panels more efficient in two different ways: make them better at converting light into electricity, and by making them cheaper to produce. Already there is an emerging class of crystals called perovskites which are very efficient at producing electricity from light, and they’re very cheap to produce. In just a few short years, perovskites may even beat the best silicon-based solar cells.

If the production costs of solar cells are kept low, this means they are more affordable to a greater number of people. Think about how revolutionary cheap electricity in developing countries in Africa or South America would be? It would change peoples’ lives there for the better, and bring those countries enormous economic advantages – this is what drives me in my research, knowing what I do today could have a positive impact in the future.

Hope this answers your question. If you need any more info, just drop a comment below 🙂