A Review Paper on Advancements in Solar PV Technology, Environmental Impact of PV Cell Manufacturing

Abstract

Technological advancement, reduction in the cost of materials, and Government support for sustainable development help improvement in solar PV technology in recent years. Photovoltaic technology is majorly employed to generated electricity worldwide in the renewable energy category. To establish a good market base for Solar PV the efficiency of solar cells plays a significant role. Presently, extensive research work is going for efficiency improvement of solar cells for commercial use. The efficiency of monocrystalline silicon solar cells has shown very good improvement year by year. It starts with only 15% in the 1950s and then increases to 17% in the 1970s and continuously increases up to 28% nowadays. The growth in solar photovoltaic technologies including worldwide status, materials for solar cells, efficiency, factor affecting the performance of PV modules, an overview of a cost analysis of PV, and its environmental impact are reviewed in this paper.