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The silicon solar cell has been around for more than half a century, and in that time it has made significant steps in terms of performance. Bell Labs demostrated the first silicon solar cell on April 25, 1954. This solar cell operated at only about 6% efficiency.

This was a massive improvement over the selenium solar cell, which had been the most common type prior to the invention of the silicon solar cell. The efficiency rating for selenium solar cells was only about 0.5%.

Solar cell research since then has focused on both increasing efficiency and reducing manufacturing costs. So far, researchers have succeeded in creating cells with up to 40% efficiency, using rare materials. The production cost for these cells is over 100 times greater than that of the current standard, 8% efficient cells. In order to encourage the adoption of solar power, reducing production cost is perhaps an even more important objective than improving efficiency.

The sun provides around 1,000 watts of power per square meter under ideal conditions. A solar cell’s advertised performance is based on this figure. Dust, pollution, elevation, temperature, weather and other factors can have an effect on sunlight intensity. Some events, such as volcanic eruptions, can even reduce sunlight on a worldwide scale for long periods of time. Low elevation also has a detrimental effect on solar cell efficiency. This is because, as elevation gets higher, the air gets thinner, and the effects of dust and pollution are reduced.

Currently, multicrystalline solar cells output at approximately 14-19% efficiency. Although this is much more efficient than previous solar cells, this kind of solar cell isn’t considered the ultimate, as it might not be possible to improve it any more than this. A lot of the current research being done concerns amorphous silicon cells, which currently work at about 8% efficiency.

At present, what would it take to replace all of the coal, natural gas and oil-based energy generation in the US with solar energy? To supply all of the electricity currently produced in the United States, it would take just over 10,000 square miles of solar panels. There is much more unused land than that, and it could easily be used for this purpose.

Solar power also requires power storage in order to work in an acceptable way, as there needs to be a source of power that can be used at night. Many power companies are considering “smart grid” systems involving the use of battery banks to solve this problem. Batteries may also represent an answer to the problem of spikes in demand presented by hot days.

Since they were first introduced, solar cells have improved substantially in terms of efficiency, from 0.5% to as high as 40%. They are also becoming more affordable, particularly in the last few years.

If you are looking into installing a solar power system, you need to consider the kind of roof panel that you are going to utilize. For further information about roof solar panels, kindly visit Roof Solar Panels.

For the finest guides to building your own solar panels, including complete instructions and step-by-step videos, go to Build Solar Panel and GreenDIY Energy Review.