Sunny Days For Silicon IELTS Reading Answers

Jan 13, 2023

Sunny Days For Silicon IELTS Reading Answers contains a write up about the discovery of silicon panels and its efficiency. Sunny Days For Silicon IELTS Reading Answers is an IELTS topic, which contains a total of 7 paragraphs. Related to the paragraphs are 14 questions. Sunny Days For Silicon IELTS Reading Answers is an IELTS Reading passage which comprises three types of questions: Choose the correct answer, true/false and not given and Complete the summary.

Candidates in this section will be shown various question types with clear instructions. Each detail mentioned must be understood by the candidate in order to finish the summary. It's necessary to read each paragraph carefully and keep in mind any crucial information. So. It requires a thorough grasp of paragraph structure. Paragraphs may be missing some details that need to be noted as unprovided. The information in the paragraphs must be retained in order to select the correct answer. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Sunny Days For Silicon IELTS Reading Answers

The old saw that "the devil is in the details" characterizes the kind of needling obstacles that prevent an innovative concept from becoming a working technology. It also often describes the type of problems that must be overcome to shave cost from the resulting product so that people will buy it. Emanuel Sachs of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has struggled with many such little devils in his career-tong endeavor to develop low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells. In his latest effort, Sachs has found incremental ways to boost the amount of electricity that common photovoltaics (PVs) generate from sunlight without increasing the costs. Specifically, he has raised the conversion efficiency of test cells made from multi-crystalline silicon from the typical 15.5 percent to nearly 20 percent—on par with pricier single-crystal silicon cells. Such improvements could bring the cost of PV power down from the current $1.90 to $2.10 per watt to $1.65 per watt. With additional tweaks, Sachs anticipates creating within Four years solar cells that can produce juice at a dollar per watt, a feat that would make electricity (rum the sun competitive with that from coal-burning power plants.

Most PV cells, such as those on home rooftops, rely on silicon to convert sunlight into electric current. Metal interconnects then funnel the electricity out from the silicon to power devices or to feed an electrical grid. Since solar cells became practical and affordable three decades ago, engineers have mostly favored using single-crystal silicon as the active material, says Michael Rogol, managing director of Germany- based Photon Consulting. Wafers of the substance are typically sawed from an ingot consisting of one large crystal that has been pulled like taffy out of a vat of molten silicon. Especially at first, the high-purity ingots were left over from integrated-circuit manufacture, but later the process was used to make PV cells themselves, Rogol recounts. Although single-crystal cells offer high conversion efficiencies, they are expensive to make. The alternatives- multi-crystalline silicon cells, which factories fabricate from lower-purity, cast ingots composed of many smaller crystals—are cheaper to make, but unfortunately they are less efficient than single-crystal cells.

Sachs, who has pioneered several novel ways to make silicon solar cells less costly and more effective, recently turned his focus to the details of multi-crystalline silicon cell manufacture. The first small improvement concerns the little silver fingers that gather electric current from the surface of the bulk silicon," he explains. In conventional fabrication processes, cell manufacturers use screen-printing techniques ("like high-accuracy silk-screening of T-shirts," Sachs notes) and inks containing silver particles to create these bus wires. The trouble is that standard silver wires come out wide and short, about 120 by 10 microns, and include many nonconductive voids. As a result, they block considerable sunlight and do not carry as much current as they should.

At his start-up company—Lexington, Mass- based 1366 Technologies (the number refers to the flux of sunlight that strikes the earth's outer atmosphere: 1.366 watts per square meter)—Sachs is employing "a proprietary wet process that can produce thinner and taller" wires that are 20 by 20 microns. The slimmer bus wires use less costly silver and can be placed closer together so they can draw more current from the neighboring active material, through which free electrons can travel only so far. At the same time, the wires block less incoming light than their standard counterparts.

The second innovation alters the wide, flat interconnect wires that collect current from the silver bus wires and electrically link adjacent cells. Interconnect wires at the top can shade as much as 5 percent of the area of a cell. "We place textured mirror surfaces on the faces of these rolled wires. These little mirrors reflect incoming light at a lower angle--around 30 degrees-—so that when the reflected rays hit the glass layer at Lire top, they stay within the silicon wafer by way of total internal reflection,” Sachs explains. (Divers and snorkelers commonly see this optical effect when they view water surfaces from below.) The longer that light remains inside, the more chance it has to be absorbed and transformed into electricity.

Sachs expects that new antireflection coatings will further raise multi-crystal line cell efficiencies. One of his firm's future goals will be a switch from expensive silver bus wires to cheaper copper ones. And he has a few ideas regarding how to successfully make the substitution. "Unlike silver, copper poisons the performance of silicon PVs," Sachs says, "so it will be crucial to include a low-cost diffusion barrier that stops direct contact between copper and the silicon." In this business, it's always the little devilish details that count.

The cost of silicon solar cells is likely to fall as bulk silicon prices drop, according to the U.S. Energy information Administration and the industry tracking firm Solarbuzz. A steep rise in solar panel sales in recent years had led to a global shortage of silicon because production capacity for the active material lagged behind, but now new silicon manufacturing plants are coming online. The reduced materials costs and resulting lower system prices will greatly boost demand for solar-electric technology, according to market watcher Michael Rogol of Photon Consulting.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-5

Use the information in the passage to match the people or companies (listed A-C) with opinions or deeds below. Write the appropriate letters A-C in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

NB you may use any letter more than once

Emanuel Sach
Michael Rogol
Solarbuzz

Gives a brief account of the history of the common practice to manufacture silicon batteries for a long time.

Answer: B
Supporting Statement: Metal interconnects then funnel the electricity out from the silicon to power devices or to feed an electrical grid. Since solar cells became practical and affordable three decades ago, engineers have mostly favored using single-crystal silicon as the active material, says Michael Rogol, managing director of Germany- based Photon Consulting.
Keyword : Metal interconnections, three decades ago.
Keyword Location: Paragraph B
Explanation: As per paragraph B, Michael Rogol briefed about the history of manufacturing silicon. In these statements he mentions the electricity is subsequently released from the silicon through metal interconnects to power devices or provide an electrical grid. Engineers have primarily favored employing single-crystal silicon as the active material since solar cells were practicable and inexpensive thirty years ago. So, The correct answer is B.

Made a joint prediction with another national agency.

Answer: C
Supporting Statement: The cost of silicon solar cells is likely to fall as bulk silicon prices drop, according to the U.S. Energy information Administration and the industry tracking firm Solarbuzz.
Keyword : The cost, U.S.
Keyword Location: Paragraph G
Explanation: As per paragraph G, Solarbuz predicted along with the other agency, The lines of paragraph G states According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration and industry monitoring company Solarbuzz, the cost of silicon solar cells is projected to decrease as bulk silicon costs decline. Soi, the correct answer is C.

Established an enterprise with a meaningful name.

Answer: A
Supporting Statement: At his start-up company—Lexington, Mass- based 1366 Technologies (the number refers to the flux of sunlight that strikes the earth's outer atmosphere: 1.366 watts per square meter)—Sachs is employing "a proprietary wet process that can produce thinner and taller" wires that are 20 by 20 microns.
Keyword : Company, Sach
Keyword Location: Paragraph D
Explanation: As per paragraph D, His new business, 1366 Technologies, is situated in Lexington, Massachusetts, and uses the number to represent the flux of sunlight striking the earth's outer atmosphere: 1.366 watts per square meter. So, the correct answer is A.

Led forward in the solar-electric field by reducing the cost while raising the efficiency.

Answer: A
Supporting Statement: Sachs expects that new antireflection coatings will further raise multi-crystal line cell efficiencies. One of his firm's future goals will be a switch from expensive silver bus wires to cheaper copper ones. And he has a few ideas regarding how to successfully make the substitution. "Unlike silver, copper poisons the performance of silicon PVs," Sachs says, "so it will be crucial to include a low-cost diffusion barrier that stops direct contact between copper and the silicon." In this business, it's always the little devilish details that count.
Keyword : Sach, low cost diffusion
Keyword Location: Paragraph F
Explanation: As per paragraph F, Sach expects for the future to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency. The line of paragraph F states that, One of his firm's future goals will be a switch from expensive silver bus wires to cheaper copper ones. And he has a few ideas regarding how to successfully make the substitution. Unlike silver, copper poisons the performance of silicon PVs, Sachs says, so it will be crucial to include a low-cost diffusion barrier that stops direct contact between copper and the silicon. So, the correct answer is A.

Expects to lower the cost of solar cells to a level that they could contend with the traditional way to generate electricity.

Answer: A
Supporting Statement: Sachs expects that new antireflection coatings will further raise multi-crystal line cell efficiencies. One of his firm's future goals will be a switch from expensive silver bus wires to cheaper copper ones.
Keyword : Sach, switch
Keyword Location: Paragraph F
Explanation: As per paragraph F, The efficiency of multicrystalline cells is predicted to increase thanks to new antireflection coatings, according to Sachs. Changing from pricey silver bus cables to less expensive copper bus wires will be one of his company's future objectives. So, the correct answer is A.

Questions 6-9

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?

In boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage

The Achille’s heel of single-crystal cells is the high cost.

Answer: True
Supporting Statement: Although single-crystal cells offer high conversion efficiencies, they are expensive to make. The alternatives- multi-crystalline silicon cells, which factories fabricate from lower-purity, cast ingots composed of many smaller crystals are cheaper to make, but unfortunately they are less efficient than single-crystal cells.
Keyword : Single-crystal cells
Keyword Location: Paragraph B
Explanation: As per paragraph B, Single-crystal cells are expensive to produce while having high conversion efficiency. The alternatives, multi-crystalline silicon cells, are produced in factories from lower-purity cast ingots made of numerous smaller crystals and are less expensive to produce than single-crystal cells. So, the statement is True.

The multi-crystalline silicon cells are ideal substitutions for single-crystal cells.

Answer: False
Supporting Statement: The alternatives- multi-crystalline silicon cells, which factories fabricate from lower-purity, cast ingots composed of many smaller crystals are cheaper to make, but unfortunately they are less efficient than single-crystal cells.
Keyword : Single-crystal cells
Keyword Location: Paragraph B
Explanation: As per paragraph B, Single-crystal cells are expensive to produce while having high conversion efficiency. The alternatives, multi-crystalline silicon cells, are produced in factories from lower-purity cast ingots made of numerous smaller crystals and are less expensive to produce than single-crystal cells. So, the statement is False.

Emanuel Sachs has some determining dues about the way to block the immediate contact between an alternative metal for silver and the silicon.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: There has been no relevant information provided related to the question statement. Thus, the answer is Not Given.

In the last few years, there has been a sharp increase in the demand for solar panels.

Answer: True
Supporting Statement: A steep rise in solar panel sales in recent years had led to a global shortage of silicon because production capacity for the active material lagged behind, but now new silicon manufacturing plants are coming online.
Keyword : Steep rise
Keyword Location: Paragraph G
Explanation: As per paragraph G, Due to a lack of production capacity for the active ingredient, a sharp increase in solar panel sales in recent years had resulted in a global silicon scarcity, but new silicon manufacturing facilities are now going online. So, the statement is true.

Questions 10-14

Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage, using No More than Three words from the Reading Passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 10-14 on your answer sheet.

Emanuel Sachs made two major changes to the particulars of the manufacture 10……………… . One is to take a 11………………. in the production of finer wires which means more current could be attracted from the 12……………… . The other one is to set 13…………………….. above the interconnect silver bus wires to keep the incoming sunlight by 14………………….. .

Question 10)

Answer: multi-crystalline silicon cell
Supporting Statement: Sachs, who has pioneered several novel ways to make silicon solar cells less costly and more effective, recently turned his focus to the details of multi-crystalline silicon cell manufacture. The first small improvement concerns the little silver fingers that gather electric current from the surface of the bulk silicon," he explains. In conventional fabrication processes, cell manufacturers use screen-printing techniques ("like high-accuracy silk-screening of T-shirts," Sachs notes) and inks containing silver particles to create these bus wires.
Keyword : Sachs, multi-crystalline
Keyword Location: Paragraph C
Explanation: As per paragraph C,Sachs, who has developed a number of unique techniques to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of silicon solar cells, has recently shifted his attention to the specifics of multi-crystalline silicon cell production. So, the correct answer is multi-crystalline silicon cells as per the explanation.

Question 11)

Answer: proprietary wet process
Supporting Statement: At his start-up company—Lexington, Mass- based 1366 Technologies (the number refers to the flux of sunlight that strikes the earth's outer atmosphere: 1.366 watts per square meter)—Sachs is employing "a proprietary wet process that can produce thinner and taller" wires that are 20 by 20 microns.
Keyword : Lexington, proprietary wet process
Keyword Location: Paragraph D
Explanation: As per paragraph D, Technologies (1.366 watts per square meter refers to the flux of sunlight striking the outer atmosphere of the earth)— Wires measuring 20 by 20 microns are being produced by Sachs using a proprietary wet technique. So, the correct answer is proprietary wet process.

Question 12)

Answer: neighboring active material
Supporting Statement: The slimmer bus wires use less costly silver and can be placed closer together so they can draw more current from the neighboring active material, through which free electrons can travel only so far.
Keyword : Slimmer bus, neighboring active material.
Keyword Location: Paragraph D
Explanation: As per paragraph D, In order to draw more current from the nearby active material, through which the number of electrons can only travel so far, the thinner bus wires, made of less expensive silver, can be installed closer together. So, the answer is neighboring active material.

Question 13)

Answer: textured mirror surfaces
Supporting Statement: Interconnect wires at the top can shade as much as 5 percent of the area of a cell. "We place textured mirror surfaces on the faces of these rolled wires.
Keyword : Interconnect wires
Keyword Location: Paragraph E
Explanation: As per paragraph E, Sach states that they embed textured mirror surfaces on the faces of these coiled wires, which can shade up to 5% of the surface area of a cell. So, the correct Answer is textured mirror surfaces.

Question 14)

Answer: Total internal reflection
Supporting Statement: These little mirrors reflect incoming light at a lower angle--around 30 degrees-—so that when the reflected rays hit the glass layer at Lire top, they stay within the silicon wafer by way of total internal reflection,” Sachs explains.
Keyword : Little mirrors, internal reflection
Keyword Location: Paragraph E
Explanation: As per paragraph E, Sach states that the light is reflected by tiny mirrors at a lower angle, about 30 degrees, so that when it hits the glass layer at the top, total internal reflection keeps the light inside the silicon wafer. So, the correct answer is internal reflection.

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