Solar Spectrum vs. Energy (IMAGE)

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Solar Spectrum vs. Energy

Caption

A solar cell's ability to convert sunlight to electric current is limited by the band gaps of the semiconductors from which it is made. For example, semiconductors with wide band gaps respond to shorter wavelengths with higher energies (lower left). A semiconductor with an intermediate band has multiple band gaps and can respond to a range of energies (lower right).

Credit

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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