A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF DIFFERENT GENERATION OFSOLAR CELLS: BENEFITS AND POTENTIAL CHALLENGES

Abstract

Solar cells are used to convert light energy into electrical energy directly with an appeal that
it does not generate any harmful bi-products, like greenhouse gasses. All commercial solar
cells use the same basic construction of using a semiconductor material to conduct electricity
under certain conditions. So from the very beginning of the solar cell invention and its route
towards the modernization, efficiency, durability and most importantly prices are always the
prime research issues. The manufacturing of solar cells is actually based on the types of
semiconducting or non-semiconducting materials used and commercial maturity. In this paper,
different generation of solar cells technologies are elaborately discussed with a view to have
some comprehensive ideas about different kinds of semiconductor materials used, advantages
and disadvantages of different generations of cells in terms of efficiency, lifetime and costs.
This paper has also highlighted the potential research areas of different generation of Solar
Cells which are yet to be explored more