Technical terms from the field of solar energy explained in detail. Please select a letter to find the explanation you are looking for.
Sources: In-house experts, Photon Solarlexikon, Brockhaus, Lexikon der Naturwissenschaftler (digital library), Wikipedia, Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems (ISE)
Absorption
If the intensity of light is reduced when it passes through matter, we refer to absorption. Matter absorbs, i.e. takes up, the energy. Since blue cells absorb more light than red, yellow or green cells, almost all solar cells are blue.
AC
Short for ‘alternating current’, i.e. an electrical current in which the polarity is constantly alternating. Our power network contains AC with a frequency of 50 Hz (Hertz). It assumes a negative and a positive value 50 times each per second. In the solar plant, AC is generated using an inverter .
Acidic texturing
Method that is part of the production of photovoltaic cells which leads to efficiency increases through chemical surface treatment.
Alkaline
The term ‘alkaline’ refers to the ratio of negatively charged hydroxide ions (OH–) and positively charged protons (H+). Alkaline materials contain more hydroxide ions.
Ampere
Ampere, or amp, is the unit of measurement of the electrical current, abbreviated ‘A’. The force of an electric current is the number of charges flowing per unit time. Electrical current is measured as the force with which two parallel electrical lines attract each other. It is indicated as current with the symbol ‘I’ . See also Ohm’s Law .
Anode
The positive pole of an electrical circuit. The electrons travel from the negative pole (cathode) to the anode (positive pole). The definition as positive and negative poles was defined when the actual direction in which the electrons travel was not yet known.
Anti-reflective layer
The anti-reflective layer is a layer with a thickness of only a few millionths of a millimetre, consisting of silicon nitride (SiN) and minimising reflection losses. Light that is reflected from the surface of a solar cell cannot be absorbed , and hence does not contribute to the generation of electricity. In solar cells, the anti-reflective layer therefore increases the light yield and the efficiency .
a-Si
a-Si stands for ‘amorphous silicon’. Atoms in amorphous matter such as amorphous silicon are irregular and appear to be randomly arranged; Greek amorphos means ‘shapeless’. By contrast, the microscopic shape of crystalline matter is regular.
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