Search results for " Solar Cells"
showing 10 items of 131 documents
Chalcopyrite Semiconductors for Quantum Well Solar Cells
2011
We explore here the possibilities of using highly absorbing chalcopyrite semiconductors of the type Cu(In,Ga)Se2 in a quantum well solar cell structure. Thin alternating layers of 50 nm CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2 were grown epitaxially on a GaAs(100) substrate employing metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. The optical properties of a resulting structure of three layers were investigated by photoluminescence and photoreflectance, indicating charge carrier confinement ∗To whom correspondence should be addressed †Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin ‡Universidad Politecnica de Madrid ¶University of Illinois §University of Jyvaskyla ‖Current address: Universitat des Saarlandes, Uni Campus, Gebaude A5.1, 66123 Saarbr…
Indium-Gallium Segregation inCuInxGa1−xSe2: AnAb Initio–Based Monte Carlo Study
2010
Thin-film solar cells with ${\mathrm{CuIn}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ (CIGS) absorber are still far below their efficiency limit, although lab cells already reach 20.1%. One important aspect is the homogeneity of the alloy. Large-scale simulations combining Monte Carlo and density functional calculations show that two phases coexist in thermal equilibrium below room temperature. Only at higher temperatures, CIGS becomes more and more a homogeneous alloy. A larger degree of inhomogeneity for Ga-rich CIGS persists over a wide temperature range, which contributes to the observed low efficiency of Ga-rich CIGS solar cells.
Fabrication and Characterisation of Titania Photonic Nanostructures
2015
In this work, we report about the preparation and morphological characterization of photonic nanopatterned titania films (~ 200 nm).
Efficient Hot Electron Transfer in Quantum Dot-Sensitized Mesoporous Oxides at Room Temperature
2018
Hot carrier cooling processes represent one of the major efficiency losses in solar energy conversion. Losses associated with cooling can in principle be circumvented if hot carrier extraction toward selective contacts is faster than hot carrier cooling in the absorber (in so-called hot carrier solar cells). Previous work has demonstrated the possibility of hot electron extraction in quantum dot (QD)-sensitized systems, in particular, at low temperatures. Here we demonstrate a room-temperature hot electron transfer (HET) with up to unity quantum efficiency in strongly coupled PbS quantum dot-sensitized mesoporous SnO2. We show that the HET efficiency is determined by a kinetic competition b…
Temperature Coefficients of Compensated Silicon Solar Cells – Influence of Ingot Position and Blend-in-ratio
2015
Published version of an article in the journal: Energy Procedia. Also available on Science Direct: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.07.004 Solar-grade silicon made from a metallurgical route presents boron and phosphorus compensation. Earlier work has shown that cells made from such material produce more energy than reference polysilicon modules when the temperature and irradiance is high. In the present study, solar cells from two different ingots with different blend-in-ratios were made from wafers at varying ingot heights in order to investigate how the temperature coefficients vary with compensation level and ingot height. The results suggest that solar modules made with solar ce…
Polystyrene nanoparticle-templated hollow titania nanosphere monolayers as ordered scaffolds
2018
We report a novel multi-step method for the preparation of ordered mesoporous titania scaffolds and show an illustrative example of their application to solar cells. The method is based on (monolayer) colloidal nanosphere lithography that makes use of polystyrene nanoparticles organised at a water–air interface and subsequently transferred onto a solid substrate. A titania precursor solution (titanium(IV) isopropoxide in ethanol) is then drop-cast onto the monolayer and left to “incubate” overnight. Surprisingly, instead of the expected inverse monolayer-structure, a subsequent calcination step of the precursor yields an ordered monolayer of hollow titania nanospheres with a wall thickness …
Synthesis of oligomers and polymers doped with porphyrins for solar energy conversion
2017
The aim of this thesis was to elaborate new electron donor materials for organic solarcells. This emerging photovoltaic technology is rapidly expanding, and has yet already reached the limit for its large-scale commercialization. The low manufacturing cost of organic photovoltaic devices make then competitive face to well-established inorganic technologies. Their biggest advantage is their weight and their mechanical properties which make them flexible. They should play a key role in future as a complement to classic solar cells, with their use in specific applications. We developed polymers by using different chomophores, well-known for their interesting photophysical properties: the porph…
Development of a High Granularity Photovoltaic Model That Considers Complex Nonuniform Shadow Conditions and Different Cell Temperatures
2012
In this paper is the development of a high granularity photovoltaic model that considers complex nonuniform shadow conditions and different cell temperatures. The model integrates the nonuniform shading characteristics such as different areas for each cell, different direct and indirect solar irradiations for each cell, and different temperatures. The area of the shadow on the PV module is found using image processing. The bond graph formalism facilitates the representation of the energy exchange between the different parts of the PV module. This complexity justifies the effort to develop a high-granularity tool. The proposed model is validated through experimental tests under shading condi…
Efficient Monolithic Perovskite/Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells
2016
Thin-film solar cells suffer from various types of recombination, of which leakage current usually dominates at lower voltages. Herein, we demonstrate first a three-order reduction of the shunt loss mechanism in planar methylammonium lead iodide perovskite solar cells by replacing the commonly used hole transport layer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) with a better hole-selective polyarylamine. As a result, these cells exhibit superior operation under reduced light conditions, which we demonstrate for the extreme case of moonlight irradiance, at which open-circuit voltages of 530 mV can still be obtained. By the shunt removal we also observe the VOC to dro…
Indium Selenide Solar Cells
1981
Indium selenide photovoltaic devices are described. Transport and photovoltaic properties are discussed. Efficiencies of 6% are reported and ways of improvement are proposed.