ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the central features of maximal photocurrent and electrical power that can be obtained from the incident sunlight. It develops the fundamental considerations that have a large impact on the properties of solar cells. Semiconductors that absorb light also emit radiation by radiative recombination. The light absorption characteristics of the materials that convert radiant energy to useful electrical energy must be adapted optimally to the spectral properties of solar radiation. The photocurrent in a solar cell consists of the extraction of the photogenerated electrons and holes and is measured by the short-circuit photocurrent density. The chapter suggests that the maximal efficiency is developed from a conservation argument. The number of photons per unit time that are absorbed from the incident spectrum minus the photons that are emitted by radiative recombination determines the electrical current, and the power is calculated at the voltage where the electrical output is optimal.
