Question

What is a photovoltaic cell?

Answer 1

Hint: Photovoltaic cell is an electrical device which converts the energy of light into something, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon.

Complete step by step answer:
A photovoltaic (PV) cell, it is also called a solar cell, is an electronic component which creates electricity when it comes in contact with photons, or particles of light. This conversion is called the photovoltaic effect, and it was discovered by French physicist Edmond Becquerel in 1839. It was after the 1960s that photovoltaic cells found their 1st practical application in satellite technology. Solar panels, which are made up of PV cell modules, started coming on rooftops at the end of the 1980s. Photovoltaic capacity has been increasing their growth steadily since the start of the 21st century, which is led by the construction of huge solar farms.
A photovoltaic cell is made up of semiconductor materials which used to absorb the photons which are emitted by the sun and later generate a flow of electrons. Photons are the particles that take solar radiation at a speed of 300,000 km per second. In the 1920s, Albert Einstein referred to them as “grains of light”. When the photons strike a semiconductor material such as silicon, they release the electrons from its atoms, leaving behind a free space. The stray electrons roam around randomly searching for another “hole” to fill.
To generate an electric current, the electrons are supposed to flow in one direction which should be the same. This can be achieved using 2 types of silicon. The silicon layer which is exposed to the sun is doped with atoms of phosphorus, which has 1 more electron than silicon has, while the other side is doped with atoms of boron, which has 1 less electron.

Note:
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electrical device that is responsible for converting the energy of light straight into electricity with the help of photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon.