Types Of Solar Cells Research Articles

Performance and efficiency of different types of solar cell material – A review

Owing to the rapid increase in industrialization and population, global energy demand is at an extreme, whereas traditional fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil, etc. are quickly exhaust. It is predicted that in the next 200–300 years, fossil fuels, particularly oil, will be depleted. The alternative source of energy is renewable energy. Many households are converting to pure, renewable electricity sources as the cost of renewable energy begins to fall. Amongst which, residential solar is among the most accessible and abundant. Fossil fuels create toxic emissions that influence the quality of water, air and soil and are concerned about global warming, another justification for choosing solar energy. Solar energy has been produced from the sun and eliminates the hassle, confusion and cost of fueling a generator powered by gas or diesel. However some of the challenges that solar cells undergo are dependent on the nature of the materials and are especially susceptible, at even low concentrations, to chemical and structural deficiencies. Materials supply and production control to achieve low prices. Durability and material ageing at the level of solar cells and modules are also a concern, as this influences the technology’s reliability and ultimately the cost. This review paper discusses the recent production of cells in direct to build the efficiency of various types of conventional solar cells more effective and comparative.

A Coarse-to-Fine Method Based on Saliency Map for Solar Cell Interior Defect Measurement

The internal defects of crystalline silicon solar cells in different production technologies are mainly detected by manual verification or type-specific algorithms based upon machine vision currently. To improve the intelligence and universality of inspection algorithms for different types of solar cells, this paper proposes a coarse-to-fine method based on a saliency map for solar cell interior defect measurement. Firstly, by introducing singular value decomposition into Fourier transform, the saliency map is generated to make anomalies in the background of heterogeneous textures and nonuniform luminance salient. Then coarse detection based on global structural information is proposed to extract the potential defects in the saliency map. Finally, fine segmentation using multiscale local statistical analysis is presented to make an accurate classification of the potential defects at the pixel level. The proposed method is applicable to quantitative analysis. To completely evaluate the performance of the presented method, experiments are implemented using five real-world datasets. The experimental results verify that the proposed method performs better than the state-of-the-art methods according to the inspection time and detection results of the solar cells in different production technologies.

Performance enhancement of solar cells by incorporating Nano-Composite Material: A review

At present, the form of energies which are being used to produce the electricity injects lots of harmful gases into the environment. In the recent report on the environment, it has been revealed that the temperature of earth is increasing rapidly and due to this effect of global warming, horrifying climate change may happen. Therefore, application of renewable energy systems can help to reduce the use of fossil fuel as well as reduces the harmful contaminant like CO2 from the environment. Solar energy can be utilized in many ways for conversion of solar radiation energy into useful applications. Photovoltaic cell is an example of renewable energy systems which converts the solar light into direct electricity. But the conversion efficiency and material associated with PV systems are costly as compared the system based on fossil fuels for commercial purpose. Therefore research works are being done in order to improve the conversion efficiency and to make PV system more viable. The aim of this study is to make an extensive review for designing and application of Nano-composites in different types of solar cells.

Homojunction perovskite solar cells: opportunities and challenges

Organometallic halide perovskites have rapidly become promising materials as a result of their outstanding properties in high-efficiency and low-cost next-generation solar cells. Perovskite materials can be adjusted to be p- or n-type by defect engineering through, for example, the self-doping method by controlling the precursor compositions and process conditions. Recently, a p-type perovskite/n-type perovskite homojunction has been proposed and constructed, which provides a possibility for the design of a novel type of perovskite solar cell (PSC). Following a brief overview of the physical fundamentals of perovskite homojunctions, a detailed discussion of the promising progress of recently reported homojunction PSCs is presented here, including theoretical simulations, extrinsic and interfacial doping and graded structures. Furthermore, the opportunities regarding higher doping concentrations, simpler device architectures, ion migration inhibition and device stability are discussed. Finally, an outlook that offers insights into the future development of highly efficient and stable homojunction PSCs is provided.

Role of Carbon‐Based Nanomaterials in Enhancing the Performance of Energy Storage Devices: Design Small and Store Big

Energy storage is the process of storing previously generated energy for future usage in order to meet energy demands. The need for high‐power density energy storage materials is growing across the board. The high ionic transport, superior electronic conductivity, rapid ion diffusion, high current tolerance, etc. are few among the numerous factors that can be considered the versatilities of nanomaterials. This makes the nanomaterials suitable for energy storage applications. According to the allied market research, the global nanotechnology in energy industry was estimated at $139.7 million in 2020 and is anticipated to hit $384.8 million by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.7% from 2021 to 2030. The extraordinary and improved properties of carbon‐based nanomaterials and their tunable surface chemistry authorize them to be used in design of competent high‐energy and high‐power energy storage devices. Recent research and future progress focus on effective usage of low‐dimensional carbon‐based nanomaterials for energy conversion and storage systems. In particular, versatile carbon nanomaterials with multifunctional capabilities have attracted incredible attention in different types of batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and other energy storage devices. Engineering the carbon‐based nanomaterials with efficient energy storage and remarkable conversion ability embraces the promise of creating a new path for their future development. This article reviews the role of few carbon‐based nanomaterials in efficiently increasing the competence and dependability of energy storage applications.

Carbon emission reduction by amalgated perovskite structure as suitable lead substitute

The paper deals with Perovskite type of Solar Cell (PVSC) its study and content investigation are carried hereby. Its importance in changing the market scenario of conventional crystal silicon is presented with literature survey. Obtaining higher count of solar efficiencies and better catalytic, spintronic properties at molecular level the role of PVSC is raised in a short time. The basic motivation at present, globally all are trying to prepare improvised version of PVSC. But still problems of stability issue as well as reduction in lead content is still the two basic objectives targeted to worked upon. The paper provides results of laboratory standard materials as well as suggest different measures to reduce lead content and to streamline the stability purpose of PVSC that is required for commercialized products. Also, future scope related to modification that could be carried out by modifying junction width and doping level with the option of utilizing tin combination as a substitute of lead is discussed.

Q CELLS > 24% Silicon Solar Cells With Mass-Production Processes

Within the last years, Q CELLS has developed a silicon solar cell structure yielding an energy conversion efficiency exceeding 24%. The cell structure features a so-called passivating contact consisting of an interfacial oxide and an n-type polysilicon layer on the rear side, double-sided screen-printed metal contacts, a module-optimized anti-reflective coating, a homogeneous front-side emitter, and an n-type silicon substrate. For the fabrication of this type of solar cell, a lean processing sequence has been applied by using exclusively mass-production processes in Q CELLS’ pilot R&D line in Thalheim, Germany. For module integration, state-of-the-art technology, such as half-cells, multi-wire interconnection, standard encapsulants, and zero-gap technology, can be applied. Hence, this solar cell structure has the potential to fully close the small remaining gap to the highest efficiency cell technologies, such as heterojunction and rear-contact solar cells at very competitive manufacturing cost. In analogy to Q CELLS' PERC-like Q.ANTUM technology, and in contrast to conventional passivated emitter and rear cells (PERC), this novel solar cell is shown to reliably suppress light-induced degradation.

Recent advances in bulk-heterojunction solar cells: a review

Because of the challenges brought by our continuous reliance on fossil fuels, there has been a rush in the creation of numerous types of solar cells in recent years. The functionality of organic solar cells with a bulk heterojunction structure has substantially increased in recent years. However, further advancements are required for large-scale engineering of this technology and precision device production. The fundamental of BHJ, working mechanism, characteristics, architecture and recent breakthroughs of this technology for solar cells, photocatalytic applications and photodetectors are highlighted in this article. The approaches to advance the stability, including the control over morphology, absorption coefficient, charge carrier mobility and lifetime, exciton lifetime, exciton binding energy and dissociation are also discussed in this article. Lastly, there are recommendations for needed improvements as well as future research areas in the realm of bulk-heterojunction solar cells. We expect this review could provide enriched information to better understand the BHJ structure and recent progress in this field.

Enhancing CZTS solar cell parameters using CZTSe BSF layer and non-toxic SnS2/In2S3 buffer layer

Direct bandgap, high absorption coefficient and good electronic properties are the main reasons why the quaternary semiconductor Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide (shortly named CZTS) reached a high interest in the minds of researchers. In this work, a numerical modeling of CZTS solar cells using SCAPS-1D was executed investigating two major points. One, the possibility of replacing the traditional and toxic CdS as buffer layer for CZTS cells, we suggested both Tin sulphide (SnS2) and Indium sulphide (In2S3) as they showed good conductivity, optical transparency and optimal bandgap which make them appropriate to be buffer layer materials. Two, the enhancement that could be brought in by adding a back surface field (BSF) in-between the absorber layer and the back contact of the cell, and here we suggested CZTSe for its good optoelectronic properties, nontoxicity, earth-abundant components. The substrate cell configuration Mo/CZTSe/CZTS/(SnS2 and In2S3)/ZnO/FTO is used to observe the effect of temperature, absorber, buffer, BSF layer thicknesses, absorber’s concentration of acceptors, series resistance and back contact on the cell performance and to optimize the results following a valid procedural approach. Efficiencies of 32,55% and 32,50% are reached for SnS2 and In2S3 respectively. These simulation results could be very helpful to improve our knowledge of this type of solar cells and thus control better the fabrication process.

Copper Oxide Inked with Dye Obtained from the Lactarius Indigo Fungus for Energy Production

The results obtained from the characterization of a copper deposit on indium doped tin oxide (ITO), inked with natural dye extracted from the Lactarius indigo fungus, for use in Gratzel type solar cells are reported. An electrolyte composed of 0.1 M HNO3 and 0.5 M CuSO4 was used, this solution was prepared for copper deposits on the ITO. Cyclic voltammetry was performed at different scan rates to obtain the reduction zone for deposition between potentials of −100 to −500 mV. The dye was obtained from the indigo Lactarius fungus from maceration, once the inked deposits were obtained, characterizations were performed, the initial test was to obtain the Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-visible) of the pure dye, and later the same test was performed on the inked oxide. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was performed on the samples, as well as Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), to characterize the material properties for its application.

Characterization of carrier transport using a bifacial structure for rational design of p-n junction PbS solar cells

In this study, a difference in the mobility of holes and electrons as a minority carrier has been systematically characterized in PbS quantum dot (QD) solar cells. While the mobility of electrons and holes is important in designing the p-n junction solar cells, it is still challenging to measure them during the normal operation of QD solar cells. When the solar includes only one transparent contact, it is difficult to separate the transport of electrons from that of holes during the normal operation of the device. We fabricated the bifacial solar cells and characterized the carrier transport by measuring the decay of photocurrent under pulsed illumination. The electron and hole mobility of p-type, n-type, and p-n junction type PbS QD film was examined and its connection to the performance of the solar cells was studied. In n-type PbS layer, the diffusion length of both electron and hole is ∼300 nm. In contrast, the diffusion length of hole and electron of p-type PbS layer is 250 nm and 175 nm. The asymmetric charge kinetics between holes and electrons in p-type PbS is systematically discussed. This result offers a rationale design rule of p-n junction type QD solar cells. 1) A difference in the mobility of holes and electrons is measured. 2) In n-type PbS layer, the diffusion length of both electron and hole is ∼300 nm 3) In p-type PbS, the asymmetric charge kinetics between holes and electrons is observed. 4) This study guides the design of the p-n junction type solar cells.

Determining the Effectiveness of Radiative Cooler‐Integrated Solar Cells

AbstractThe power‐conversion efficiency of solar cells (SCs) is reduced at high temperatures. A radiative cooling process can be implemented to overcome this issue. The radiative cooler (RC) presents considerable potential in the design of an ideal broadband emitter, which emits heat through the entire atmospheric transmittance window for devices with operating temperatures that significantly exceed the ambient temperature. However, the performance of these devices varies based on the type of SCs. This study aims to determine the dependency of the radiative cooling power for various types of SCs and proposes the multi‐junction SC (MJSC), which is the SC that benefits the most from RCs. The integrated cooler is designed with a micro‐grating which can enhance the emissivity within entire atmospheric transmittance window and can also lead to the light‐trapping aspect in the solar spectrum. Outdoor field tests demonstrate both the enhanced cooling performance and the power conversion efficiency of the proposed MJSC when compared to a conventional glass‐mounted MJSC under direct sunlight of ≈900 Wm−2 including a temperature drop of ≈6 °C and minimization of the variation of the open‐circuit voltage to ≈6%. Future research is expected to develop a theoretical bridge between the field of SCs and radiative cooling.

Influence mechanism of Cu+/(Cu++Cu2+) ratio in Cu-Zn-Sn-S precursor solution on performance of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 solar cells

Five types of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) films were fabricated by selenization of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) precursor films preparing through Cu-Zn-Sn-S precursor solutions with nominal Cu+/(Cu++Cu2+) ratio of 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1. Five types of CZTSSe solar cells were prepared by using the five types of CZTSSe films as absorbers, respectively. The crystal quality and phase composition of the CZTS and CZTSSe films were characterized by XRD, Raman and SEM, and the photovoltaic performance for the CZTSSe solar cells were measured by J-V and EQE. It is found that the CZTS film consists of kesterite CZTS when the ratio is 0 and of kesterite CZTS together with a small amount of SnS when the ratio is 0.2 to 1. All of the CZTSSe films are comprised of kesterite CZTSSe and a small amount of Zn(S,Se). The crystal quality and lattice constants of the kesterite CZTSSe increase with increasing the ratio, while the amount of Zn(S,Se) decreases with increasing the ratio and almost to zero as the ratio is 1. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the CZTSSe solar cells increases from 5.47% to 8.43% as the ratio increases from 0 to 1, which is due to improvement in short-circuit current density (Jsc) and filling factor (FF) and decrease in open circuit voltage deficit (Voc,def). The influence mechanism of the ratio on the PCE is suggested by analyzing effect of the ratio on electrical parameters of the CZTSSe solar cells.

Numerical simulation of novel designed perovskite/silicon heterojunction solar cell

In this work, novel designed solar cell is proposed for first time for doped perovskite based silicon heterojunction solar cells where (n/p)-type doped perovskite used as ultra-thin emitter layer and (p/n)-type silicon as absorber layer. Performance of two different types of solar cells, n-type doped perovskite with p-type based crystalline silicon (p-cSi) solar cells and p-type doped perovskite with n-type based crystalline silicon (n-cSi) solar cells are studied and highest efficiency of 28.82% and 29.48% respectively are achieved by optimizing their properties. Thicknesses of silicon wafer and perovskite layer, band gap of MAPbI3 layer, doping density of ultra-thin perovskite (emitter) layer, doping density of c-Si layer, texturing of silicon wafer, metal work function of different materials at front contact and back contact & its band bending on using different metals, and role of ZnO and ITO as conducting surface layer has been studied and optimized in the present work. AFORS-HET automat simulation software is used to study the performance of these simulated solar cells.

Parameter Identification of Photovoltaic Cell Model Using Modified Elephant Herding Optimization-Based Algorithms

The use of metaheuristics in estimating the exact parameters of solar cell systems contributes greatly to performance improvement. The nonlinear electrical model of the solar cell has some parameters whose values are necessary to design photovoltaic (PV) systems accurately. The metaheuristic algorithms used to determine solar cell parameters have achieved remarkable success; however, most of these algorithms still produce local optimum solutions. In any case, changing to more suitable candidates through elephant herd optimization (EHO) equations is not guaranteed; in addition, instead of making parameter α adaptive throughout the evolution of the EHO, making them adaptive during the evolution of the EHO might be a preferable choice. The EHO technique is used in this work to estimate the optimum values of unknown parameters in single-, double-, and three-diode solar cell models. Models for five, seven, and ten unknown PV cell parameters are presented in these PV cell models. Applications are employed on two types of PV solar cells: the 57 mm diameter RTC Company of France commercial silicon for single- and double-diode models and multi-crystalline PV solar module CS6P-240P for the three-diode model. The total deviations between the actual and estimated result are used in this study as the objective function. The performance measures used in comparisons are the RMSE and relative error. The performance of EHO and the proposed three improved EHO algorithms are evaluated against the well-known optimization algorithms presented in the literature. The experimental results of EHO and the three improved EHO algorithms go as planned and proved to be comparable to recent metaheuristic algorithms. The three EHO-based variants outperform all competitors for the single-diode model, and in particular, the culture-based EHO (CEHO) outperforms others in the double/three-diode model. According the studied cases, the EHO variants have low levels of relative errors and therefore high accuracy compared with other optimization algorithms in the literature.

Prediction of solar cell materials via unsupervised literature learning

Despite the significant advancement of the data-driven studies for physical science, the textual data that are numerous in the literature are not fully embraced by the physics and materials community. In this manuscript, we successfully employ the natural language processing (NLP) technique to unsupervisedly predict the existence of solar cell types including the dye-sensitized solar cells and the perovskite solar cells based on literatures published prior to their first discovery without human annotation. Enlightened by this, we further identify possible solar cell material candidates via NLP starting with a comprehensive training database of 3.2 million paper abstracts published before 2021. The NLP model effectively predicts the existing solar cell materials, while an uncommon solar cell material namely PtSe2 is suggested as an appropriate candidate for the future solar cells. Its optoelectronic properties are comprehensive investigated via first-principles calculations to reveal the decent stability and optoelectronic performance of the NLP-predicted candidate. This study demonstrates the viability of the textual data for the data-driven materials prediction and highlights the NLP method as a powerful tool to reliably predict the solar cell materials.

An n–n type heterojunction enabling highly efficient carrier separation in inorganic solar cells

Carrier separation in a solar cell usually relies on the p–n junction. Here we show that an n–n type inorganic semiconductor heterojunction is also able to separate the exciton for efficient solar cell applications. The n–n type heterojunction was formed by hydrothermal deposition of Sb2(S,Se)3 and thermal evaporation of Sb2Se3. We found that the n–n junction is able to enhance the carrier separation by the formation of an electric field, reduce the interfacial recombination and generate optimized band alignment. The device based on this n–n junction shows 2.89% net efficiency improvement to 7.75% when compared with the device consisted of semiconductor absorber–metal contact. The study in the n–n type solar cell is expected to bring about more versatile materials utility, new interfacial engineering strategy and fundamental findings in the photovoltaic energy conversion process.

New organic photosensitizers based on triphenylamine and hydantoin as anchoring group onto TiO2 Surface

In this work, we present the synthesis of novel D-π-A compounds based on the structure of 2-(3-hexyl-2-oxoimidazolin-4-ylidene) malononitrile, which can function as an acceptor group and anchoring group to the TiO2 surface. The synthetic route of the dyes involving a Knoevenagel condensation under microwave irradiation with donors based on triphenylamine (TPA) and thiophene moiety as a conjugated wire. Additionally, absorption, emission and electrochemical experiments were carried out to demonstrate a push-pull behavior in all the dyes.Finally, DCH 1-6 dyes were tested as photosensitizers in Grätzel type solar cells showing a low PCE values (between 0.10% and 0.60%), due to the poor electron injection on TiO2 surface for the low LUMO energy levels of the prepared dyes.

Performance augmentation of PV panels using phase change material cooling technique: A review

The solar photovoltaics as an environmentally beneficial technique, have emerged as an important source of electrical power, to meet rising energy requirement and supplanting the corresponding shortages in traditional energy sources. Due to a considerable portion of the solar radiation dropping on photovoltaic cells is converted to heat; the photovoltaic power plants' efficiency is reduced. The photovoltaics panel efficiency decreases if the temperature increases, this depends on the type of solar cell used. Controlling the temperature of the solar photovoltaics has become essential to improving photovoltaic panel efficiency, especially in places where the ambient temperature is extremely high. The current paper evaluates the literature related to the application of phase change material for temperature management and electrical efficiency enhancement in photovoltaics modules. The major goal is to identify the important research topics in order to ensure that the technology performs as expected and commercially viable. Various strategies must be examined and enhanced for the site under study in order to achieve the greatest photovoltaics panel performance. According to the findings, the inorganic phase change materials offer a high capacity for cooling solar cells. Only places with high year-round solar radiation and less seasonal transitions climatic fluctuations will be cost-effective for phase change material-based photovoltaic systems. However, less thermal conductivity, in addition to low cooling are two primary issues for phase change material.

The role of oxygen defects engineering via passivation of the Al2O3 interfacial layer for the direct growth of a graphene-silicon Schottky junction solar cell

Over the past decade, graphene-based solar cells have received increasing exploration. In particular, the metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS)-type solar cells have an inherent cost advantage compared to the p-n junction solar cells. However, the technological progress in graphene solar cells based on the MIS junction is currently facing a number of serious challenges, including long-term stability, surface recombination at the interface level, and surface defects. To overcome these barriers, a simple, cost-effective method is developed herein for the interfacial single-component passivation of Al2O3 with NH3 or H2O2, and co-passivation with NH3 and H2O2 together. The interfacial layer between the silicon and the directly-grown graphene operates as an effective electron blocking layer, thus leading to the minimization of surface recombination. Further, the NH3-H2O2 co-passivated Al2O3 performs the dual role of providing a good platform for the growth of graphene and enhancing the performance of the fabricated solar cell. Moreover, in a proof of concept demonstration, the fabricated graphene-silicon (Gr/Si) Schottky junction with an NH3-H2O2 co-passivated Al2O3 interfacial layer exhibits an efficiency of 9.49%, which is a major enhancement over that of the Gr/Si solar cell without an interfacial layer (i.e., 3.19%). These results demonstrate that the control of oxygen-related defects containing non-lattice oxygen in the Al2O3 interfacial layer remarkably impacts the charge transfer resistance and electron recombination processes. This work can be viewed as an elegant interface engineering approach to the co-passivation of Al2O3 for optoelectronic applications.