A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts light directly into electricity through the photovoltaic effect. The effect was first demonstrated in 1839 by the French physicist Edmond Becquerel, then only nineteen years old, and the first solid-state photovoltaic cells followed in 1876 and 1883 from William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day, and from Charles Fritts. The first practical, usable photovoltaic cell was developed at Bell Laboratories in 1954 by Calvin Fuller, Daryl Chapin and Gerald Pearson, and solar cells reached wider prominence after their use to power the Vanguard I satellite in 1958.
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YearSourced to the subject's own account SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountThe Bell Laboratories photovoltaic cell gained early prominence when it was incorporated onto the Vanguard I satellite in 1958, establishing solar power's role in spaceflight. 1 Connections
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Gallium arsenide is used in high-efficiency solar cells, notably for spacecraft.
Source Gallium Arsenide (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Silicon, Materials Crystalline silicon is the dominant photovoltaic material in solar cells.
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Source Solar Cell (Wikipedia)
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1. Solar Cell (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section, 1954 milestone entry
The first practical photovoltaic cell was publicly demonstrated at Bell Laboratories. The inventors were Calvin Souther Fuller, Daryl Chapin and Gerald Pearson.
History section, 1958 milestone entry
Solar cells gained prominence with their incorporation onto the Vanguard I satellite.
In Field: Electrical Engineering, Lead section
A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell (PV cell), is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by using the photovoltaic effect.
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Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Gallium Arsenide, Solar cells and detectors sectionQuote, Associated With: Gallium Arsenide, Solar cells and detectors section
Gallium arsenide is an important semiconductor material for high-cost, high-efficiency solar cells and is used for single-crystalline thin-film solar cells and for multi-junction solar cells.
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