scholarly journals Nanotechnology in the Service of Solar Energy Systems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Ghasemzadeh ◽  
Mostafa Esmaeili Shayan
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cell ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Hot Carrier ◽  
Generation Spectrum ◽  
Absorption Of Light ◽  
Energy Options ◽  
New Generation ◽  
And Storage

Nanotechnology can help to address the existing efficiency hurdles and greatly increase the generation and storage of solar energy. A variety of physical processes have been established at the nanoscale that can improve the processing and transmission of solar energy. The application of nanotechnology in solar cells has opened the path to the development of a new generation of high-performance products. When competition for clean energy options is growing, a variety of potential approaches have been discussed in order to expand the prospects. New principles have been explored in the area of solar cell generation, multi-generation, spectrum modulation, thermo-photoelectric cells, hot carrier, the middle band, and many other techniques. Nanoparticles and nanostructures have been shown to enhance the absorption of light, increase the conversion of light to energy, and have improved thermal storage and transport.

Effect of Power Characteristics on Solar Panels: Hands-On Projects for Clean Energy Systems Class

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birce Dikici ◽  
Javier Jalandoni
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cell ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Solar Panel ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Solar Panels ◽  
Electrical Measurements ◽  
Power Characteristics ◽  
Electrical Generation

In this paper, experiments that can be introduced to Clean Energy Systems classes are described. The experiments investigate the effect of power characteristics (temperature, shade and tilt angle) on solar panel electricity production. Solar cell efficiency is the ratio of the electrical output of a solar cell to the incident energy in the form of sunlight. The energy conversion efficiency of a solar cell is the percentage of the solar energy to which the cell is exposed that is converted into electrical energy. Extreme temperatures can cause a decrease in solar panel’s power output and airstream can dissipate the heat and bring the solar panel to its normal operating condition. Solar panel efficiency is undesirably affected by heat and improved with introducing cooler medium. As well as heat, solar panel loses its power when a part of it is shaded by trees or surrounding buildings. Before solar panel systems are designed for homes, usually a detailed shading analysis of the roof is conducted to reveal its patterns of shade and sunlight throughout the year. By the same manner, how solar panels react to the direct and indirect rays from the sun in order to produce electricity is examined through experiments. Voltage, current and power flowing into a resistor are measured when the angle of the solar panel relative to the light source is changed. The tilt angles to the electrical measurements are linked to the differences in electrical generation. Students can perform experimental procedures explained here and gain the conceptual understanding of the Solar Energy better. The investigations require student explanation of the question, method, display of data with the critical response from peers.

Hot carrier solar cell (HCSC): A new generation nano-structured solar cell

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indranil Basu ◽  
Amit Kumar Mandali ◽  
Pijus Kanti Samanta ◽  
Vishal Kumar ◽  
Md. Afsar Hussain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cell ◽  
Hot Carrier ◽  
New Generation

Thin Film Solar Cell: Characteristics and Characterizations

2015 ◽  
Vol 1116 ◽  
pp. 51-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Kamal Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cell ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Manufacturing Cost ◽  
Human Society

In recent decades, due to some urgent and unavoidable issues, such as increasing energy demand, climate change, global warming, etc., the R&D of renewable energies have become inevitable to pave way the sustainable development of human society. In this regard, solar power is widely considered as the most appealing clean energy since there is no other one being as abundant as the sun. The amount of solar energy reaching our earth within one hour equals to the total annual energy need of all of humankind. Since the energy resources on Earth are being exhausted, solar energy have to serve as the main energy source in coming century and beyond. The photovoltaic solar cells developed so far have been based on silicon wafers, with this dominance likely to continue well into the future. The surge in manufacturing volume as well as emerging technologies over the last decade has resulted in greatly decreased costs. Therefore, several companies are now well below the USD 1 W−1 module manufacturing cost benchmark that was once regarded as the lowest possible with this technology. Thin-film silicon, such as hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si), microcrystalline silicon (mc-Si) and related alloys, are promising materials for very low-cost solar cells. Here in this article, a brief description of thin film solar cell technologies followed by deferent state-of-art tools used for characterizing such solar cells are explored. Since characteristics of thin-film solar cells are the main ingredient in defining efficiency, the inherent properties are also mentioned alongside the characterizations.

scholarly journals Preparation of a Textile-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Opwis ◽  
Jochen Stefan Gutmann ◽  
Ana Rosa Lagunas Alonso ◽  
Maria Jesus Rodriguez Henche ◽  
Mikel Ezquer Mayo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cell ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Dye Sensitized Solar Cell ◽  
Protective Film ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Dye Sensitized ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
Individual Unit ◽  
Low Weight ◽  
New Generation

Solar energy conversion is an object of continuous research, focusing on improving the energy efficiency as well as the structure of photovoltaic cells. With efficiencies continuously increasing, state-of-the-art PV cells offer a good solution to harvest solar energy. However, they are still lacking the flexibility and conformability to be integrated into common objects or clothing. Moreover, many sun-exposed surface areas are textile-based such as garments, tents, truck coverings, boat sails, and home or outdoor textiles. Here, we present a new textile-based dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) which takes advantage from the properties inherent to fabrics: flexibility, low weight, and mechanical robustness. Due to the necessary thermostability during manufacturing, our DSC design is based on heat-resistant glass-fiber fabrics. After applying all needed layers, the overall structure was covered by a transparent and simultaneously conductive protective film. The light and still flexible large-area devices (up to 6 cm2per individual unit) are working with efficiencies up to 1.8% at 1/5 of the sun. Stability tests assure no loss of photovoltaic activity over a period of at least seven weeks. Therefore, our technology has paved the way for a new generation of flexible photovoltaic devices, which can be used for the generation of power in the mentioned applications as well as in modern textile architecture.

scholarly journals Effect of Ag loading position on the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanocolumn arrays

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 717-728
Author(s):  
Jinghan Xu ◽  
Yanqi Liu ◽  
Yan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Photocatalytic Performance ◽  
Atomic Layer ◽  
Theoretical Simulation ◽  
Solar Energy Harvesting ◽  
Layer Deposition ◽  
Absorption Of Light ◽  
Energy Conversion And Storage ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Photocatalytic Applications

Plasmonic metal/semiconductor composites have attracted great attention for efficient solar energy harvesting in photovoltaic and photocatalytic applications owing to their extremely high visible-light absorption and tuned effective band gap. In this work, Ag-loaded TiO2 nanocolumn (Ag-TNC) arrays were fabricated based on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template by combining atomic layer deposition (ALD) and vacuum evaporation. The effects of the Ag loading position and deposition thickness, and the morphology, structure and composition of Ag-deposited TNC arrays on its optical and photocatalytic properties were studied. The Ag-filled TiO2 (AFT) nanocolumn arrays exhibited higher removal efficiency of methylene blue (MB) compared with Ag-coated TiO2 (ACT) nanocolumn arrays and pure TiO2 nanocolumns arrays. Both experimental and theoretical simulation results demonstrated that the enhanced photocatalytic performance of AFT nanocolumn arrays was attributed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag and the absorption of light by TiO2. These results represent a promising step forward to the development of high-performance photocatalysts for energy conversion and storage.

scholarly journals Coupling aqueous zinc batteries and perovskite solar cells for simultaneous energy harvest, conversion and storage

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Chen ◽  
Tian-Tian Li ◽  
Yuan-Bo Yang ◽  
Guo-Ran Li ◽  
Xue-Ping Gao
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cell ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Perovskite Solar Cells ◽  
Energy Harvest ◽  
Specific Power ◽  
Power Sources ◽  
Voltage Range ◽  
Zinc Metal ◽  
Perovskite Material ◽  
And Storage

AbstractSimultaneously harvesting, converting and storing solar energy in a single device represents an ideal technological approach for the next generation of power sources. Herein, we propose a device consisting of an integrated carbon-based perovskite solar cell module capable of harvesting solar energy (and converting it into electricity) and a rechargeable aqueous zinc metal cell. The electrochemical energy storage cell utilizes heterostructural Co2P-CoP-NiCoO2 nanometric arrays and zinc metal as the cathode and anode, respectively, and shows a capacity retention of approximately 78% after 25000 cycles at 32 A/g. In particular, the battery cathode and perovskite material of the solar cell are combined in a sandwich joint electrode unit. As a result, the device delivers a specific power of 54 kW/kg and specific energy of 366 Wh/kg at 32 A/g and 2 A/g, respectively. Moreover, benefiting from its narrow voltage range (1.40–1.90 V), the device demonstrates an efficiency of approximately 6%, which is stable for 200 photocharge and discharge cycles.

Efficient Co-Harvesting of Solar Energy and Low-Grade Heat by Molecular Photoswitches for High Energy Density, Long-Term Stable Solar Thermal Battery

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao-Yang Zhang ◽  
Tao LI
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Thermal Battery ◽  
Low Grade Heat

Solar energy and ambient heat are two inexhaustible energy sources for addressing the global challenge of energy and sustainability. Solar thermal battery based on molecular switches that can store solar energy and release it as heat has recently attracted great interest, but its development is severely limited by both low energy density and short storage stability. On the other hand, the efficient recovery and upgrading of low-grade heat, especially that of the ambient heat, has been a great challenge. Here we report that solar energy and ambient heat can be simultaneously harvested and stored, which is enabled by room-temperature photochemical crystal-to-liquid transitions of small-molecule photoswitches. The two forms of energy are released together to produce high-temperature heat during the reverse photochemical phase change. This strategy, combined with molecular design, provides high energy density of 320-370 J/g and long-term storage stability (half-life of about 3 months). On this basis, we fabricate high-performance, flexible film devices of solar thermal battery, which can be readily recharged at room temperature with good cycling ability, show fast rate of heat release, and produce high-temperature heat that is >20<sup> o</sup>C higher than the ambient temperature. Our work opens up a new avenue to harvest ambient heat, and demonstrate a feasible strategy to develop high-performance solar thermal battery.

Efficient Co-Harvesting of Solar Energy and Low-Grade Heat by Molecular Photoswitches for High Energy Density, Long-Term Stable Solar Thermal Battery

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao-Yang Zhang ◽  
Tao LI
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Thermal Battery ◽  
Low Grade Heat

Solar energy and ambient heat are two inexhaustible energy sources for addressing the global challenge of energy and sustainability. Solar thermal battery based on molecular switches that can store solar energy and release it as heat has recently attracted great interest, but its development is severely limited by both low energy density and short storage stability. On the other hand, the efficient recovery and upgrading of low-grade heat, especially that of the ambient heat, has been a great challenge. Here we report that solar energy and ambient heat can be simultaneously harvested and stored, which is enabled by room-temperature photochemical crystal-to-liquid transitions of small-molecule photoswitches. The two forms of energy are released together to produce high-temperature heat during the reverse photochemical phase change. This strategy, combined with molecular design, provides high energy density of 320-370 J/g and long-term storage stability (half-life of about 3 months). On this basis, we fabricate high-performance, flexible film devices of solar thermal battery, which can be readily recharged at room temperature with good cycling ability, show fast rate of heat release, and produce high-temperature heat that is >20<sup> o</sup>C higher than the ambient temperature. Our work opens up a new avenue to harvest ambient heat, and demonstrate a feasible strategy to develop high-performance solar thermal battery.

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