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

- Gross revenue development

1800 1600 1400

2454

(MNOK)

1705

1200
1000 800 600 400 200 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 159 435 857

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

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.