A review on solar photovoltaic systems and its application in electricity generation

Abstract

Energy demand has increased due to the development of industrialization and urbanization. As a result, renewable energy sources satisfy the energy demand of human, social and economic development since fossil fuels are limited in natural resources and causing global warming in the environment. In current scenarios, scientists worldwide focus on renewable energy sources like solar, biomass, wind, hydropower, geothermal, etc. Consequently, developing countries are run-down in conventional fossil fuel resources and import them from other countries. A decentralized stand-alone solar system installed in rural areas is a technically feasible solution to overcome the issues. Solar energy system offers many merits in producing electricity since it has zero fuel cost and zero-emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) - greenhouse gas (GHG) into the atmosphere. Solar thermal energy is used for drying, cooking, heating, and electricity generation. Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells are the preferred method for electricity production in the past decades. Choosing the suitable photovoltaic cell for a specific application needs proper knowledge of their basic mechanisms and functions. This paper has reviewed the broad-minded expansion of solar PV technologies from the first generation to current configurations.