solar cell

Introduction
Solar cell structure and operation
Solar panel design
Development of solar cells

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Diagram of a solar cell showing labeled layers, including a front electrical contact grid, antireflection layer, absorber layer, back junction layer, and back electrical contact layer, with arrows indicating light entering and terminals connecting to a circuit.

The future of solar power: Multi-junction solar cells

Diagram showing a grid-connected solar cell system: solar panels generate electricity sent to a controller, which can charge a battery or supply power to DC and AC loads via converters and inverters, with excess energy sent to the electrical grid.

View from below of a roof structure made of thin-film solar cell panels arranged in a grid pattern with metal framing.

The satellite's solar panels are arrays of solar cells that provide the electrical energy needed for its functions, the power being stored in batteries. Its antennas may be 8 ft (2.5 m) in diameter and may transmit wide-area-of-coverage beams or narrowly focused “spot” beams.

Representation of an electron in a solar cell.

At a Glance

solar cell summary

Related Questions

How are solar cells different from batteries and fuel cells?
How can flexible CIGS solar cells be used in buildings and vehicles?
How did Charles Fritts build one of the first true solar cells?
How did Gerald Pearson, Daryl Chapin, and Calvin Fuller improve silicon solar cell efficiency in 1954?
How do crystal defects and impurities reduce solar cell efficiency?
How do electrical contacts carry current from a solar cell to an external circuit?
How do grid-connected solar systems work?
How do lenses and parabolic mirrors concentrate sunlight for solar power generation?
How do photons excite electrons inside a solar cell?
How do reflective coatings on the back of a solar cell increase light capture?
How do solar tracking systems follow the Sun's movement?
How does a microgrooved solar cell surface help trap light?
How does a solar cell's band gap affect its efficiency?
How does an antireflection coating improve a solar cell's performance?
How does connecting solar cells in parallel change a solar panel's current?
How does connecting solar cells in series change a solar panel's voltage?
How does the photovoltaic effect produce direct current in a solar cell?
How much electrical power does a typical 10-centimetre by 10-centimetre solar cell produce?
What is the difference between a solar cell, a solar module, a solar panel, and a solar array?
What role do phosphorus and boron play in crystalline silicon solar cells?
Which materials can be used for antireflection coatings on solar cells?
Which remote locations can be powered by stand-alone solar systems?
Which semiconductor materials are used to make solar cells?
Why are cadmium telluride thin-film solar cells less expensive than silicon thin-film cells?
Why are the front metal contacts on a solar cell arranged in a thin grid pattern?
Why can electron-hole recombination reduce a solar cell's electrical output?
Why do amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells have lower efficiency than many other solar cells?
Why do grid-connected solar systems require inverters and protective equipment?
Why do grid-connected solar systems usually not need storage batteries?
Why do solar cells not need fuel or moving parts to generate electricity?
Why do solar cells use semiconductor materials to absorb light?
Why do solar power systems use inverters for alternating-current appliances?
Why is silicon the most common material used in solar cells?
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External Websites

Energy Education - Photovoltaic cell
U.S. Department of Energy - Solar Photovoltaic Cell Basics
U.S. Energy Information Administration - Photovoltaics and electricity
Energy.gov - Solar Photovoltaic Cell Basics
Engineering LibreTexts - Solar Cells
ACS Publications - Organic Solar Cells: Recent Progress and Challenges (PDF)
Open Library Publishing Platform - Solar Photovoltaics for Design Engineers - Introduction to Solar Photovoltaics
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Structural and Electrical Analysis of Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells: The Role of Busbar Geometry in First-Generation PV Technology
University of Michigan - Center for Sustainable Systems - Photovoltaic Energy Factsheet

solar cell

electronics

Also known as: photovoltaic cell, solar cell panel

Written by

Stephen Joseph Fonash

Alumni Professor of Engineering Sciences; Director, Center for Electronic Materials and Processing, Pennsylvania State University, University Park. Author of Solar Cell Device Physics.

Stephen Joseph FonashAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 30, 2026 •History

solar cell, any device that directly converts the energy of light into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect. The overwhelming majority of solar cells are fabricated from silicon—with increasing efficiency and lowering cost as the materials range from amorphous (noncrystalline) to polycrystalline to crystalline (single crystal) silicon forms. Unlike batteries or fuel cells, solar cells do not utilize chemical reactions or require fuel to produce electric power, and, unlike electric generators, they do not have...

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