Lesson plan
Light soaking
Light soaking refers to the change in power output of solar cells which can be measured after illumination. This can either be an increase or decrease, depending on the type of solar cell. The cause of this effect and the consequences on efficiency varies per type of solar cell. Light soaking can generally cause either metastable electrical or structural effects. Electrical effects can vary the efficiency depending on illumination, electrical bias and temperature, where structural effects actually changes the structure of the material and performance is often permanently altered. Although in many cases light soaking actually increases the efficiency of the solar cell, the effect is still seen as problematic since stability in power output is an important requirement for solar cells and the devices connected to solar cells. Also, in order to accurately determine the lifetime of solar cells, it is important to know how the cells are affected by light soaking over time.
Article summary
Light soaking refers to the change in power output of solar cells which can be measured after illumination. This can either be an increase or decrease, depending on the type of solar cell. The cause of this effect and the consequences on efficiency varies per type of solar cell. Light soaking can generally cause either metastable electrical or structural effects. Electrical effects can vary the efficiency depending on illumination, electrical bias and temperature, where structural effects actually changes the structure of the material and performance is often permanently altered. Although in many cases light soaking actually increases the efficiency of the solar cell, the effect is still seen as problematic since stability in power output is an important requirement for solar cells and the devices connected to solar cells. Also, in order to accurately determine the lifetime of solar cells, it is important to know how the cells are affected by light soaking over time.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.