Harvesting Sunshine: From Photovoltaics to the Thermodynamics of Light

An accessible and pedagogical introduction to photovoltaics, Harvesting Sunshine presents the solar cell as a multifaceted device that can be viewed as an electronic energy converter, an absorber and emitter of light, and a thermodynamic heat engine, while also outlining its links with the most ancient of solar energy converters: photosynthesis.Beginning with a simple introduction to photovoltaics, suitable as a stand-alone basic primer, the text goes on to explain the solar cell operation in more detail, outlining the electrical characteristics linked to the balance and reciprocity between electrical currents across a semiconductor junction.At a more fundamental level, the book then looks at the Shockley-Queisser limit and its physical foundations, underpinned by Kirchhoff's and Planck's radiation laws linked by photon recycling, moving the discussion into the realm of thermodynamics.A thermodynamic analysis of thermalization reveals an intimate link between the photovoltaic and therm