Solar cells today are mostly made of silicon, one
of the most common elements on Earth. The
crystalline silicon solar cell was one of the first
types to be developed and it is still the most
common type in use today. They do not pollute
the atmosphere and they leave behind no harmful
waste products. Photovoltaic cells work
effectively even in cloudy weather and unlike solar
heaters, are more efficient at low temperatures.
They do their job silently and there are no moving
parts to wear out. It is no wonder that one marvels
on how such a device would function. To
understand how a solar cell works, it is necessary
to go back to some basic atomic concepts. In the
simplest model of the atom, electrons orbit a
central nucleus, composed of protons and
neutrons. each electron carries one negative
charge and each proton one positive charge.
Neutrons carry no charge. Every atom has the
same number of electrons as there are protons, so,
on the whole, it is electrically......

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Title: Solar Cells
Approximate Word Count: 1045
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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