scholarly journals Key Success Factors and Future Perspective of Silicon-Based Solar Cells

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Binetti ◽  
M. Acciarri ◽  
A. Le Donne ◽  
M. Morgano ◽  
Y. Jestin

Today, after more than 70 years of continued progress on silicon technology, about 85% of cumulative installed photovolatic (PV) modules are based on crystalline silicon (c-Si). PV devices based on silicon are the most common solar cells currently being produced, and it is mainly due to silicon technology that the PV has grown by 40% per year over the last decade. An additional step in the silicon solar cell development is ongoing, and it is related to a further efficiency improvement through defect control, device optimization, surface modification, and nanotechnology approaches. This paper attempts to briefly review the most important advances and current technologies used to produce crystalline silicon solar devices and in the meantime the most challenging and promising strategies acting to increase the efficiency to cost/ratio of silicon solar cells. Eventually, the impact and the potentiality of using a nanotechnology approach in a silicon-based solar cell are also described.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
F. X. Abomo Abega ◽  
A. Teyou Ngoupo ◽  
J. M. B. Ndjaka

Numerical modelling is used to confirm experimental and theoretical work. The aim of this work is to present how to simulate ultrathin hydrogenated amorphous silicon- (a-Si:H-) based solar cells with a ITO BRL in their architectures. The results obtained in this study come from SCAPS-1D software. In the first step, the comparison between the J-V characteristics of simulation and experiment of the ultrathin a-Si:H-based solar cell is in agreement. Secondly, to explore the impact of certain properties of the solar cell, investigations focus on the study of the influence of the intrinsic layer and the buffer layer/absorber interface on the electrical parameters ( J SC , V OC , FF, and η ). The increase of the intrinsic layer thickness improves performance, while the bulk defect density of the intrinsic layer and the surface defect density of the buffer layer/ i -(a-Si:H) interface, respectively, in the ranges [109 cm-3, 1015 cm-3] and [1010 cm-2, 5 × 10 13  cm-2], do not affect the performance of the ultrathin a-Si:H-based solar cell. Analysis also shows that with approximately 1 μm thickness of the intrinsic layer, the optimum conversion efficiency is 12.71% ( J SC = 18.95   mA · c m − 2 , V OC = 0.973   V , and FF = 68.95 % ). This work presents a contribution to improving the performance of a-Si-based solar cells.


2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (29) ◽  
pp. 15400-15410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiming Liu ◽  
Yun Sun ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Jianghong Yao

A novel high-efficiency c-Si heterojunction solar cell with using compound hetero-materials is proposed and denominated HCT (heterojunction with a compound thin-layer).


2013 ◽  
Vol 1536 ◽  
pp. 113-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. J. Schmidt ◽  
Y. Lin ◽  
M. Beaudoin ◽  
G. Xia ◽  
S. K. O'Leary ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe have performed an analysis on three hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) based solar cells. In order to determine the impact that impurities play in shaping the material properties, the XRD and Raman spectra corresponding to all three samples were measured. The XRD results, which displayed a number of crystalline silicon-based peaks, were used in order to approximate the mean crystallite sizes through Scherrer's equation. Through a peak decomposition process, the Raman results were used to estimate the corresponding crystalline volume fraction. It was noted that small crystallite sizes appear to favor larger crystalline volume fractions. This dependence seems to be related to the oxygen impurity concentration level within the intrinsic nc-Si:H layers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Utpal Gangopadhyay ◽  
Sukhendu Jana ◽  
Sayan Das ◽  
Sutapa Garain ◽  
Soma Ray

Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems represent an interesting, alternative approach for increasing the available area for electricity production and potentially for further reducing the cost of solar electricity. In BIPV systems, the visual impression of a solar module becomes important, including its color. However, the range of solar cell colours and shapes currently on offer to architects and BIPV system designers is still very limited, and this is a barrier to the widespread use of PV modules as a constructional “material.” The color of a solar module is determined by the color of the cells in the module, which is given by the antireflection coating (ARC). However, access to efficient, but differently colored, solar cells is important for the further development of BIPV systems. In this paper, we have used Diamond-like nanocomposite layer as an Antireflective Nanocomposite based (ARNAB) coating material for crystalline silicon solar cell, and the impact of varying the color of an ARC upon the optical characteristics and efficiency of a solar cell is investigated. In addition to a comparison of the optical characteristics of such solar cells, the effect of using colored ARCs on solar cell efficiency is quantified using the solar cell modeling tool PC1D.


Author(s):  
Venkatesh Piradi ◽  
Feng Yan ◽  
Xunjin Zhu ◽  
Wai-Yeung Raymond Wong

Organic solar cells (OSCs) have been considered as a promising cost-effective alternative to silicon-based solar cell counterparts due to their lightweight, mechanical flexibility, and easy fabrication features. Over the past...


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (18) ◽  
pp. A1224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Won Song ◽  
Yoon-Ho Nam ◽  
Min-Joon Park ◽  
Bongyoung Yoo ◽  
Jun-Sik Cho ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Yaser Abdulraheem ◽  
Moustafa Ghannam ◽  
Hariharsudan Sivaramakrishnan Radhakrishnan ◽  
Ivan Gordon

Photovoltaic devices based on amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon (a-Si:H/c-Si) heterojunction interfaces hold the highest efficiency as of date in the class of silicon-based devices with efficiencies exceeding 26% and are regarded as a promising technology for large-scale terrestrial PV applications. The detailed understanding behind the operation of this type of device is crucial to improving and optimizing its performance. SHJ solar cells have primarily two main interfaces that play a major role in their operation: the transparent conductive oxide (TCO)/a-Si:H interface and the a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction interface. In the work presented here, a detailed analytical description is provided for the impact of both interfaces on the performance of such devices and especially on the device fill factor ( FF ). It has been found that the TCO work function can dramatically impact the FF by introducing a series resistance element in addition to limiting the forward biased current under illumination causing the well-known S-shape characteristic in the I-V curve of such devices. On the other hand, it is shown that the thermionic emission barrier at the heterojunction interface can play a major role in introducing an added series resistance factor due to the intrinsic a-Si:H buffer layer that is usually introduced to improve surface passivation. Theoretical explanation on the role of both interfaces on device operation based on 1D device simulation is experimentally verified. The I-V characteristics of fabricated devices were compared to the curves produced by simulation, and the observed degradation in the FF of fabricated devices was explained in light of analytical findings from simulation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 1551 ◽  
pp. 137-142
Author(s):  
Neil S. Beattie ◽  
Guillaume Zoppi ◽  
Ian Farrer ◽  
Patrick See ◽  
Robert W. Miles ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe device performance of GaAs p-i-n solar cells containing stacked layers of self-assembled InAs quantum dots is investigated. The solar cells demonstrate enhanced external quantum efficiency below the GaAs band gap relative to a control device without quantum dots. This is attributed to the capture of sub-band gap photons by the quantum dots. Analysis of the current density versus voltage characteristic for the quantum dot solar cell reveals a decrease in the series resistance as the device area is reduce from 0.16 cm2 to 0.01 cm2. This is effect is not observed in control devices and is quantum dot related. Furthermore, low temperature measurements of the open circuit voltage for both quantum dot and control devices provide experimental verification of the conditions required to realise an intermediate band gap solar cell.


2014 ◽  
pp. 319-346
Author(s):  
Salahuddin Qazi ◽  
Farhan A. Qazi

Solar radiation is plentiful and a clean source of power. However, despite the first practical use of silicon based solar cell more than 50 years ago, it has not been exploited to its full potential due to the high cost of electrical conversion on a per Watt basis. Many new kinds of photovoltaic cells such as multi-junction solar cells dye –sensitized solar cells and organic solar cell incorporating element of nanotechnology have been proposed to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost. Nanotechnology, in the form of quantum dots, nanorods, nanotubes, and grapheme, has been shown to enhance absorption of sunlight, makes low cost flexible solar panels and increases the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. The chapter reviews the state of current photovoltaic cells and challenges it presents. It also discusses the use of nanotechnology in the application of photovoltaic cells and future research directions to improve the efficiency of solar cells and reduce the cost.


Author(s):  
Salahuddin Qazi ◽  
Farhan A. Qazi

Solar radiation is plentiful and a clean source of power. However, despite the first practical use of silicon based solar cell more than 50 years ago, it has not been exploited to its full potential due to the high cost of electrical conversion on a per Watt basis. Many new kinds of photovoltaic cells such as multi-junction solar cells dye –sensitized solar cells and organic solar cell incorporating element of nanotechnology have been proposed to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost. Nanotechnology, in the form of quantum dots, nanorods, nanotubes, and grapheme, has been shown to enhance absorption of sunlight, makes low cost flexible solar panels and increases the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. The chapter reviews the state of current photovoltaic cells and challenges it presents. It also discusses the use of nanotechnology in the application of photovoltaic cells and future research directions to improve the efficiency of solar cells and reduce the cost.


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