Chapter 8 Multiple Choice Questions

1) The average solar power incident on the Earth's surface is about…

1000 mW cm⁻².

1 kW m⁻².

100 W cm⁻².

1000 W cm⁻².

2) Full sunlight is falling on a 20% efficiency solar cell of area 2 m² at an angle of incidence of 60 degrees normal to the cell. What is the output power of the cell?

100 W

200 W

400 W

600 W

3) When a p-type solar cell is illuminated with light, photons with energies greater than the ____ ____ excite electrons in the ___-region from the ____ band to the _____ band. When these electrons come within the ____ ____ ____, they are swept into the ____-type region, producing a ____ _____ that can drive a _____ through an appliance.

4) Match the band gaps to the semiconductors.

4a.

Perovskite

4b.

CdTe

4c.

Si

4d.

GaSb

5) Match the percentage losses in a silicon solar cell to the following:

5a.

Photons with energies less than 1.1 eV

5b.

The voltage factor loss

5c.

Incomplete charge collection

6) A photocell has a short circuit current of 25 mA, an open circuit voltage of 0.6 V, and a maximum power output of 12 mW. What is its fill factor?

50%

65%

80%

95%

7) A photocell has a short circuit current of 40 mA and an open circuit voltage of 0.6 V. What value of resistor across the cell would dissipate the most power?

6.7 Ω

13.5 Ω

18 Ω

8) For a multilayer photocell, which of the following statements are true? Please select all that apply.

The layer with the smallest band gap is the first or upper layer.

The current is limited to the smallest current in a layer.

The open circuit voltage is the sum of the open circuit voltages from each layer.

9) A two-junction solar cell made by adding a perovskite layer on top of a silicon solar cell could have an efficiency of about…

33%.

40%.

50%.

10) A 100 kWp array of solar panels is located in the south west of the USA. What is the best estimate of the annual output?

19 GWh

220 MWh

19 MWh

11) The capacity factor of a solar PV farm (without tracking) in southern India is approximately…

15%.

20%.

25%.

12) The optimum orientation for a panel located at a latitude of 40 degrees north is…

pointing south with its normal at an angle of 40 degrees to the horizontal.

pointing west with its normal at an angle of 40 degrees to the vertical.

pointing north with its normal at an angle of 40 degrees to the horizontal.

pointing south with its normal at an angle of 40 degrees to the vertical.

13) A factory is in a region where the tilted insolation, GTI, is 2000 kWh m⁻² y⁻¹. What approximate area of solar panels would be required to produce 100,000 kWh of electricity per annum?

50 m²

240 m²

280 m²

14) Rooftop solar PV gives the owner the opportunity to sell surplus generation back to the grid, called _____ _____, or, if on a ____-grid, to trade electricity using ______ to ensure secure exchange of information.

15) During 2006–2018, global module costs fell by a factor X, and during 2009–2018 the price of electricity from PV in the USA fell by a factor of Y to ~Z cents per kWh

X=4; Y= 3; Z = 10.5

X=7; Y= 8; Z = 8.5

X=11; Y= 8; Z = 4.5

X=15; Y= 12; Z = 3.5

16) What can be said about solar PV?
Please select all that apply.

It is now cheaper than coal and gas in most major countries.

It requires an electrical grid.

It is can be used to provide fast-reacting backup for a grid.

It could provide with massive investment 40000 TWh per year by 2050.

It can be more efficient when floating on water.

It requires direct radiation.

17) The associated CO₂ emissions from PV panels compared to gas turbine generated electricity are about…

5%.

10%.

20%.

30%.

18) What approximate area of a PV farm in Egypt would be required to produce an annual output of 10 TWh?

40 km².

75 km².

200 km².

400 km².

19) Environmental effects of PV power can include damage from _____ materials, adverse _____ impact, a loss of _____, and degradation of the _____.

20) In 2019, the percentage of global electricity from solar photovoltaics was…

2.7%.

4.2%.

6.7%.

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