Definition of open-circuit voltage. The box is any two-terminal device, such as a battery or solar cell. The two terminals are not connected to anything (an "open circuit"), so no current can flow into or out of either terminal. The voltage voc between the terminals is the open-circuit voltage of the device.
Black curve: The highest possible open-circuit voltage of a
solar cell in the
Shockley-Queisser model under unconcentrated sunlight, as a function of the semiconductor
bandgap. The red dotted line shows that this voltage is always smaller than the bandgap voltage.
Open-circuit voltage (abbreviated as OCV or VOC ) is the difference of electrical potential between two terminals of a device when disconnected from any circuit.[1] There is no external load connected. No external electric current flows between the terminals. It is sometimes given the symbol Voc. In network analysis this voltage is also known as the Thévenin voltage.
The open-circuit voltages of batteries and solar cells are often quoted under particular conditions (state-of-charge, illumination, temperature, etc.).
Open Circuit Potential is important since the metal with the low open potential will dissolve faster in the electrolyte than the metal with high open circuit potential.
See also
References
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