PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS AND THEIR POSSIBLE USE AS POWER CONVERTERS FOR SOLAR ENERGY

There are a number of possible methods by which one may convert solar energy into other more useful forms of energy. In the past and currently, man has made most use of chemical energy as an intermediate form, either through the growing in sunlight of food plants and trees for wood or the collection of stored remnants of such material such as coal, oil, and gas. The useful work is obtained by the the proper release of the chemical energy as in animal bodies or in steam engines. A particularly large proportion of our work requirements of energy is obtained by further conversion of the energy from the steam engine into electrical energy because of the convenience of distribution. Because of this, the possibility of direct conversion of solar energy into electrical power is a particularly fascinating one. While not practical yet, from a competitive cost standpoint, possible methods for doing this already exist. Devices which show an electrical response to light are called photoelectric cells. This paper surveys the constitution and properties of certain types of photoelectric cells and considers the potentialities of such cells as possible converters of sola