What are the characteristics of silicon photocells in solar streetlight applications

The silicon photocell in a solar street light is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into electrical energy. Its structure is very simple, the core part is a large area PN junction (below). You can do a simple experiment yourself, connect a point-contact diode of a transparent glass case with a micro-ampere meter into a closed loop. When the diode's die (PN junction) is illuminated, you will see micro-ampere. The needle of the watch deflects, showing a current in the loop. This phenomenon is called the photovoltaic effect.

Silicon Photovoltaic The PN junction area is much larger than the PN junction of the diode, so the electromotive force and current generated by illumination are much larger. For example, the domestic 2CR type silicon photocell has an open circuit voltage (measured by a DC millivoltmeter with high internal resistance) of 450 to 600 mV, a short circuit current of 16 to 30 mA, and a conversion efficiency of 6% at an incident light intensity of 100 mW/cm2. 12%. [The above content is published by Yangxu lighting manufacturer Yangxu Lighting]