The Viability of Organic Dyes in Luminescent Down-Shifting Layers for the Enhancement of Si Solar Cell Efficiency

The main energy losses in solar cells are related to spectral losses where high energy photons are not used efficiently, and energy is lost via thermalization which reduces the solar cell’s overall efficiency. A way to tackle this is to introduce a luminescent down-shifting layer (LDS) to convert these high energy photons into a lower energy bracket helping the solar cell to absorb them and thus generating a greater power output. In this paper, lumogen dye Violet 570 has been used as LDS coated films of 10μm and 60μm placed on top of Si solar cells. The dye was incorporated into polymer films of Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) and Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) after which they were tested for their absorption, transmission and emission properties. Once optimised layers had been determined, they were deposited directly onto silicon solar cells and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the Si solar cells were measured with and without the LDS layers. The resulting graphs have shown an increase of up to 2.9% in the overall EQE efficiency after the lumogen films had been applied.

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Water-soluble ZnSe/ZnS:Mn/ZnS quantum dots convert UV to visible light for improved Si solar cell efficiency

Journal of Materials Chemistry C ◽

10.1039/d0tc04580b ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hisaaki Nishimura ◽

Takaya Maekawa ◽

Kazushi Enomoto ◽

Naoteru Shigekawa ◽

Tomomi Takagi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quantum Dots ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Visible Light ◽

Solar Spectrum ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Solar Cell Efficiency ◽

Cell Efficiency ◽

Si Solar Cell ◽

Si Solar Cells

The sensitivity of Si solar cells to the UV portion of the solar spectrum is low, and must be increased to further improve their efficiencies.

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Water as infrared filter for silicon solar cell efficiency enhancement for Kerman province of Iran as a talent region for solar energy production

World Journal of Engineering ◽

10.1108/wje-12-2016-0165 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (5) ◽

pp. 363-367 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mohammad Bagher Askari ◽

Mohammad Reza Bahrampour ◽

Vahid Mirzaei ◽

Amir Khosro Beheshti Marnani ◽

Mirhabibi Mohsen

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Solar Energy ◽

Energy Production ◽

Silicon Solar Cell ◽

Silicon Solar Cells ◽

Efficiency Enhancement ◽

Content Type ◽

Solar Cell Efficiency ◽

Cell Efficiency

Purpose The aim of this paper is to apply a watery infrared filter for silicon solar cell efficiency enhancement in Kerman province of Iran as a talent region for solar energy production. Design/methodology/approach With this research, the water is applied as a filter for silicon solar cells in different volumes and thicknesses. Findings The obtained results showed that using various amounts of water could be a suitable choice for increasing the efficiency of silicon solar cells. Originality/value Other wavelength regions just cause the increase in the entropy and decrease in the efficiency. With this research, the water is applied as a filter for silicon solar cell in different volumes and thickness. The obtained results showed that using different thicknesses of water could be suitable choice for increasing the efficiency of silicon solar cell.

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Efficient Thin-Film Polycrystalline-Silicon Solar Cells Based on Aluminium-Induced Crystallization

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-0989-a24-03 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 989 ◽

Author(s):

Ivan Gordon ◽

Lode Carnel ◽

Dries Van Gestel ◽

Guy Beaucarne ◽

Jef Poortmans

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Current Density ◽

Polycrystalline Silicon ◽

Cell Process ◽

Cell Efficiency ◽

Si Solar Cell ◽

Si Solar Cells ◽

Induced Crystallization

AbstractEfficient thin-film polycrystalline-silicon (pc-Si) solar cells on inexpensive substrates could lower the price of photovoltaic electricity substantially. At the MRS conference in 2006, we presented a pc-Si solar cell with an efficiency of 5.9% that had an absorber layer made by aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) of amorphous silicon followed by high-temperature epitaxial thickening. The efficiency of this cell was mainly limited by the current density. To obtain higher efficiencies, we therefore need to implement an effective light trapping scheme in our pc-Si solar cell process. In this work, we describe how we recently enhanced the current density and efficiency of our cells. We achieved a cell efficiency of 8.0% for pc-Si cells in substrate configuration. Our cell process is based on pc-Si layers made by AIC and thermal CVD on smoothened alumina substrates. The cells are in substrate configuration with deposited a-Si heterojunction emitters and interdigitated top contacts. The front surface of the cells is plasma textured which leads to an increase in current density. The current density is further enhanced by minimizing the back surface field thickness of the cells to reduce the light loss in this layer. Our present pc-Si solar cell efficiency together with the fast progression that we have made over the last few years indicate the large potential of pc-Si solar cells based on the AIC seed layer approach.

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The Business of Fast ALD Equipment for Depositing Alumina Passivation Layers on Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells.

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/opl.2011.1497 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1353 ◽

Author(s):

Ad Vermeer ◽

Roger Gortzen ◽

P. Poodt ◽

F. Roozeboom

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

High Throughput ◽

Crystalline Silicon ◽

Atomic Layer ◽

Silicon Solar Cells ◽

Alumina Layer ◽

Solar Cell Efficiency ◽

Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells ◽

Cell Efficiency

ABSTRACTAtomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a gas phase deposition technique for depositing very high quality thin films with an unsurpassed conformality. The main drawback of ALD however is the very low deposition rate (~ 1 nm/min). Recently, record deposition rates for alumina of up to 1 nm/s were reached using spatial ALD, while maintaining the typical assets regarding film quality as obtained by conventional, slow ALD [1]. This allows for ALD at high throughput numbers.One interesting application is passivation of crystalline silicon solar cells. Applying a thin alumina layer is reported to increase solar cell efficiency and enables the use of thinner wafers, thus reducing the main cost factor [2]. In this paper we report on the latest progress made by SoLayTec that delivered a working prototype of a system realizing full area single sided deposition of alumina on 156 x 156 mm2, mono- and multi crystalline silicon wafers for solar cell applications. The alumina layers showed excellent passivation. Based on this concept, a high-throughput ALD deposition tool is being developed targeting throughput numbers of up to 3000 wafers/hr. Finally, we report on the process of commercializing this technology.

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Inhomogeneity of Plated Contacts for c-Si Solar Cells and Their Impact on Solar Cell Efficiency

IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics ◽

10.1109/jphotov.2020.3008272 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 1455-1462

Author(s):

Hassan Merhi ◽

Andreas Fell ◽

Benjamin Grubel ◽

Markus Glatthaar ◽

Sven Kluska

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Solar Cell Efficiency ◽

Cell Efficiency ◽

Si Solar Cells

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Enhanced Electrical Properties of Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells via Nano-Composite Polyvinyl-Alcohol/Titanium Dioxide

International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics ◽

10.18280/ijdne.160510 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 557-564

Author(s):

Ali Kadhim Naser ◽

Dhafer Manea H. Al-Shamkhee ◽

Qahtan Adnan Abed

Keyword(s):

Titanium Dioxide ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Polyvinyl Alcohol ◽

Silicon Solar Cells ◽

Coating Film ◽

Solar Cell Efficiency ◽

Cell Efficiency ◽

Energy Bandgap ◽

The Impact

Reflection loss and solar cell temperature both have a significant impact on solar cell efficiency and, consequently, on power generation. Herein, the aim is to investigate into the impact of Nanocomposite Titanium Dioxide (TiO2)/Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) on polycrystalline silicon solar cells. The solvent casting method is employed to prepare nanocomposite TiO2/PVA for deposition on the front side of the solar cell. The Tauc plot is used to investigate the influence of TiO2 nanoparticle concentration (10-20nm) on the energy bandgap of a nanocomposite. To test the optical properties of the solar cell after depositing the Nanocomposite coating film and to confirm the suspension of TiO2 in PVA and construct a Nanocomposite, an ultraviolet-visible spectrometer and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer are provided. The results show that increasing the TiO2 in the TiO2/PVA Nanocomposite increases the energy bandgap. The Ultraviolet-Visible spectrometer observes that the Nanocomposite films absorb the Ultraviolet wavelength and transmittance at the visible wavelength. Finally, it found the lowest reflection obtained was 3.9% for 0.2wt% TiO2 in TiO2/PVA nanocomposite and the enhancement of the solar cell efficiency was (+2.3%).

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Defect Density Profiling in Light-Soaked and Annealed Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-664-a19.2 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 664 ◽

Author(s):

Richard S. Crandall ◽

Jeffrey Yang ◽

Subhendu Guha

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Amorphous Silicon ◽

Central Region ◽

Defect Density ◽

Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon ◽

Silicon Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell Efficiency ◽

Cell Efficiency ◽

Hydrogenated Amorphous

ABSTRACTThe fundamental ingredient lacking in solar cell modeling is the spatial distribution of defects. To gain this information, we use drive-level capacitance profiling (DLCP) on hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells. We find the following: Near the p-i interface the defect density is high, decreasing rapidly into the interior, reaching low values in the central region of the cell, and rising rapidly again at the n-i interface. The states in the central region are neutral dangling-bond defects whose density agrees with those typically found in similar films. However, those near the interfaces with the doped layers are charged dangling bonds in agreement with the predictions of defect thermodynamics. We correlate the changes in solar cell efficiency owing to intense illumination with changes in the defect density throughout the cell. Defects in the central region of the cell increase to values typically found in companion films. We describe the measurements and interpretation of DLCP for solar cells with the aid of a solar cell simulation.

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CdTe-Based Thin Film Solar Cells: Past, Present and Future

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14061684 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 1684

Author(s):

Alessandro Romeo ◽

Elisa Artegiani

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Short Circuit ◽

Short Circuit Current ◽

Short Circuit Current Density ◽

Open Circuit ◽

Early Years ◽

Solar Cell Efficiency ◽

Cell Efficiency

CdTe is a very robust and chemically stable material and for this reason its related solar cell thin film photovoltaic technology is now the only thin film technology in the first 10 top producers in the world. CdTe has an optimum band gap for the Schockley-Queisser limit and could deliver very high efficiencies as single junction device of more than 32%, with an open circuit voltage of 1 V and a short circuit current density exceeding 30 mA/cm2. CdTe solar cells were introduced at the beginning of the 70s and they have been studied and implemented particularly in the last 30 years. The strong improvement in efficiency in the last 5 years was obtained by a new redesign of the CdTe solar cell device reaching a single solar cell efficiency of 22.1% and a module efficiency of 19%. In this paper we describe the fabrication process following the history of the solar cell as it was developed in the early years up to the latest development and changes. Moreover the paper also presents future possible alternative absorbers and discusses the only apparently controversial environmental impacts of this fantastic technology.

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Junction Configuration Effects on the Photovoltaic Parameters of a-Si/CZTS Solar Cells

10.20944/preprints202201.0163.v1 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

H. Bitam ◽

B. Hadjoudja ◽

Beddiaf Zaidi ◽

C. Shakher ◽

S. Gagui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Open Circuit Voltage ◽

Open Circuit ◽

Photovoltaic Devices ◽

Solar Cell Efficiency ◽

Cell Efficiency ◽

Reported Study ◽

Stated Problem

Due to increased energy intensive human activities resulting accelerated demand for electric power coupled with occurrence of natural disasters with increased frequency, intensity, and duration, it becomes essential to explore and advance renewable energy technology for sustainability of the society. Addressing the stated problem and providing a radical solution has been attempted in this study. To harvest the renewable energy, among variety of solar cells reported, a composite a-Si/CZTS photovoltaic devices has not yet been investigated. The calculated parameters for solar cell based on the new array of layers consisting of a-Si/CZTS are reported in this study. The variation of i) solar cell efficiency as a function of CZTS layer thickness, temperature, acceptor, and donor defect concentration; ii) variation of the open circuit current density as a function of temperature, open circuit voltage; iii) variation of open circuit voltage as a function of the thickness of the CZTS layer has been determined. There has been no reported study on a-Si/CZTS configuration-based solar cell, analysis of the parameters, and study to address the challenges imped efficiency of the photovoltaic device and the same has been discussed in this work. The value of the SnO2/a-Si/CZTS solar cells obtained from the simulation is 23.9 %.

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