EQUATIONS OF A SOLAR CELL

This paper derives the algebraic expression of the short-circuit current of a solar cell from first principles and explains the physics behind why a solar cell under illumination supplies a current at zero applied voltage. Such simple expressions have been absent previously from the solar cell literature. Apart from the short-circuit current, this paper also gives simple theoretical expressions for the open-circuit voltage and the efficiency of a solar cell. All calculated current-voltage equations are corroborated with numerical simulations.