ABSTRACT
Photovoltaic (PV) devices can be classified into three generations, i.e., first-, second-, and third-generation cells, depending on the key materials used and the level of commercial maturity of the PV technology. The first-generation cell is the commercially predominant PV technology, based on crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafers, that includes materials such as polysilicon and monocrystalline silicon. The second-generation cells are thin-film solar cells, that include amorphous silicon (a-Si) based thin-film PVs, cadmium telluride/cadmium sulfide (CdTe/CdS) solar cells, and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells. The third-generation solar cells, defined as emerging PV technology that is still in the research or development phase, include several thin-film technologies based on organic materials, organometallic compounds, and inorganic substances. This chapter focuses on the understanding of three generations of SC technology and discusses their operational principles. It allows us to compare and evaluate the different types of SCs.
