Solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity through the photovoltaic effect. They are most commonly made from silicon and have no moving parts. As the market for solar energy grows, the largest challenges are reducing costs and overcoming the lack of highly purified silicon needed to meet demand. Researchers are working to improve efficiency and develop new materials for next generation solar cells.
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Solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity through the photovoltaic effect. They are most commonly made from silicon and have no moving parts. As the market for solar energy grows, the largest challenges are reducing costs and overcoming the lack of highly purified silicon needed to meet demand. Researchers are working to improve efficiency and develop new materials for next generation solar cells.
Solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity through the photovoltaic effect. They are most commonly made from silicon and have no moving parts. As the market for solar energy grows, the largest challenges are reducing costs and overcoming the lack of highly purified silicon needed to meet demand. Researchers are working to improve efficiency and develop new materials for next generation solar cells.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity through the photovoltaic effect. They are most commonly made from silicon and have no moving parts. As the market for solar energy grows, the largest challenges are reducing costs and overcoming the lack of highly purified silicon needed to meet demand. Researchers are working to improve efficiency and develop new materials for next generation solar cells.
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Solar Cell
(Photovoltaics) Light Electricity
Solar Cell (PV)
: 20075418 Ju Dae-Hyun
Renewable
Nonrenewable Enargy
(Renewable Energy)
(Nonrenewable Energy)
What is a Solar Cell?
A structure that converts solar energy directly to DC electric energy. It supplies a voltage and a current to a resistive load (light, battery, motor). Power = Current x Voltage=Current2 x R= Voltage2/R It is like a battery because it supplies DC power. It is not like a battery because the voltage supplied by the cell changes with changes in the resistance of the load.
Basic Physics of Solar Cells
Silicon (Si) is from group 4 of the period table. When many Si atoms are in close proximity, the energy states form bands of forbidden energy states.
One of these bands is called the band gap(Eg) and the absorption of light in Si is a strong function of Eg.
The Sun as Energy Source
The Sun daily provides about 10 000 times more energy to the Earth than we consume Photovoltaic technology directly converts solar energy into electricity No moving parts no noise no emissions long lifetime Large industrial potential - cost reductions needed Feedstock for PV industry is silicon - the second most abun dant element in the crust of the Earth
Solar Energy status
Market is exploding The solar industry is very profitable Lack of highly purified silicon (polysilicon) Cost of solar electricity is too high, R&D focus on reducing cost and increasing efficiency
Actual Growth vs. Historic Forecasts
Actual market development
Solar Energy status
Market is exploding The solar industry is very profitable Lack of highly purified silicon (polysilicon) Cost of solar electricity is too high, R&D focus on reducing cost and increasing efficiency
Market is exploding The solar industry is very profitable Lack of highly purified silicon (polysilicon) Cost of solar electricity is too high, R&D focus on reducing cost and increasing efficiency
Solar Grade Silicon Supply-Demand
(MT/year) 25 000 20 000
15 000
10 000
5 000
0 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
SOG Polysilicon supply
SOG Polysilicon demand
Solar Energy status
Market is exploding The solar industry is very profitable Lack of highly purified silicon (polysilicon) Cost of solar electricity is too high, R&D fo cus on reducing cost and increasing effici ency
Cost reductions existing technologies
Thinner wafers - Wire sawing - Laser cutting and etching Higher efficiencies - Semiconductor technologies on single crystal wafers (examples Sanyo / SunPower) Thin film technologies (flat panel display)
Public incentives are important
Cost goals for third generation solar cells
Efficiency and cost projections for first-, second- and third generation photovoltaic technology (wafers, thin-films, and advanced thin-films, respectively) Source: University of New South Wales
Next generation technology
Silicon nanostructures
Bandgap engineering of silicon. Applications could be tandem solar cells and ene rgy selective contacts for hot carrier solar cells. Fabrication of silicon nanostructures consisting o f quantum well and quantum dot super lattices to achieve band gap control
Next generation technology (cont.)
Up/Down converters Luminescent materials that: EITHER absorb one high energy photon and emit m ore than one low energy photon just above the bad gap of the solar cell (down-conversion) OR that absorb more than one low energy photon b elow the band gap of the cell and emit one photon ju st above the band gap (up-conversion).
Understanding cell efficiency
SOLAR SPECTRUM AM 1,5 (1000 watt/m2) 18 16 14
Irradiation AM 1,5 Useful irradiation (c-Si)
Irradiance, watt/m2
12 10 8 6 4 2 0 200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
wavelength, nm
Next generation technology (cont.)
Hot carrier Cells This concept tackles the major PV loss mechanism of thermalisation of carriers.
The purpose is to slow down the rate of photoexcited carrier cooling caused by phonon interaction in the lattice to allow time for the carrie rs to be collected whilst they are still hot, and hence increasing the vo ltage of a cell.
Next generation technology (cont.)
Thermoelectric solar cells Application of the concept of energy selective elec tron transport used in hot carrier solar cells, to devel op thermo electrics and thermo-ionics devices.
The PV Value Chain (multi-crystalline)
Polysilicon
Wafer
Solar Cell
Solar Module
Systems
Chemical Process (purification)
Casting Cutting
Surface Treatment
Assembly
Installation Operation
Prices are actually increasing
Silicon Solar cell
How does solar energy work? Solar Electric or Photovoltaic Systems convert some of the energy in sunlight directly into electricity. Photovoltaic (PV) cells are made primarily of silicon, the second most abundant element in the earth's crust, and the same semiconductor material used for computers. When the silicon is combined with one or more other materials, it exhibits unique electrical properties in the presence of sunlight. Electrons are excited by the light and move through the silicon. This is known as the photovoltaic effect and results in direct current (DC) electricity. PV modules have no moving parts, are virtually maintenance-free, and have a working life of 20 - 30 years.
Photovoltaics Most current solar cells are photovoltaic Typically made from silicon or amorphous silicon. Typical efficiency ~ 12%. Best efficiency ever in laboratory: ~30%. Theoretical maximum, including concentrating light: 43%
Generic design: doped pn junction.
Photons come in and photoionize donors. Built-in electric field at junction causes carriers to flow, building up a potential (voltage) btw the p and n sides. Clearly one can play with different band gap systems to arrive at materials with different absorption spectra. Also, good mobility of charge essential for this to work well trapping of charge or poor mobility will kill efficiency.
Silicon Solar cell
Principle p-n Junction Diode.
Ref. Soft Condensed Matter physics group in univ. of Queenland
p n n p
Poly-Si Solar cell Making process
:
Si ingot 330m 2cm x 2cm Surface cleaning
Texturing : chemical v-groove
p-n junction : POCl3 (900C)
ITO increasing minorty carrier correction, ARC
Forward surface Electrode
Back Surface Field Deposition Al and Ag
ohmic-contact
Anti-reflection coating (ARC) TiO2 deposition
H2
H2
H2
H2
H2 diffusion
dangling bond H2 bonding Decreasing recombination
Measure
Solar Cell, Module, Array
- An individual PV cell typically produces between 1 and 2 watts
Concentrator collectors
decrease the area of solar cell material being used in a system
Flat-Plate Systems
Flat-plate collectors typically use large numbers or areas of cells that are mounted on a rigid, flat surface. substrate ; metal, glass, plastic
They are simpler to design and fabricate. They do not require special optics, specially designed cells, or mounting structures that must track the sun precisely. plus, flat-plate collectors can use all the sunlight
Uses for Solar Energy
Main Application Areas Off-grid
Space Water Pumping Telecom
Solar Home Systems
Main Application Areas Grid Connected
Commercial Building Systems (50 kW)
Residential Home Systems (2-8 kW)
PV Power Plants ( > 100 kW)
Conclusions Solar energy will become the most important and cost-efficient en ergy source in the future. The present lack of silicon feedstock is promoting a rapid develop ment of next generation technology. Immediate actions are taken to cut thinner wafers and increase ce ll efficiencies for crystalline silicon. New thin film technologies are being developed Stronger influence from semiconductor industry will accelerate the development of better technologies Nanosilicon and other third generation technologies may offer a lo ng-term solution for the future solar energy technology.
