Abstract:
The energy supply from the sun is truly enormous: on average, the earth’s
surface receives about 1.2*1017W of solar power. This means that less than one hour
enough energy is supplied to the earth to satisfy the entire energy demand of the human
population over the whole year. Indeed, it the energy of sunlight assimilated by
biological organisms over millions of years that has made possible the industrial growth
as we know. Most of the other renewable means of power generation also depend on the
sun as the primary source: hydroelectric, wind and wave power all have the same origin.
Solar cells did not have to wait long to find application. The year 1958 witnessed the
launch of Vanguard 1, the first satellite to use electricity from the sun. The technology
has been developing ever since. Much interest in solar electricity appeared particularly
in the wake of the oil crisis in the early seventies. Today, the direct conversion of light
into electricity, or photovoltaic, is becoming accepted as an important form of power
generation.
