solar cell

noun

a photovoltaic cell that converts sunlight directly into electricity.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for solar cells

solar cell

noun

a photovoltaic cell that produces electricity from the sun's rays, used esp in spacecraft

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

solar cells in Science

solar cell

A photoelectric cell designed to convert sunlight into electrical energy, typically consisting of layers or sheets of specially prepared silicon. Electrons, displaced through the photoelectric effect by the Sun's radiant energy in one layer, flow across a junction to the other layer, creating a voltage across the layers that can provide power to an external circuit. Solar cells are used as power supplies in calculators, satellites, and other devices, and as a primary source of electricity in remote locations.

solar cells in Culture

solar cells

Devices, usually made of semiconductors, that convert sunlight directly into electric current (see also current). Solar cells power artificial satellites and are often used in remote locations of the Earth.

Note

At present, solar cells are too expensive and inefficient to be used for commercial generation of electricity.