Solar Energy Conversion Techniques

Solar Energy Conversion Techniques
Solar Energy
Conversion Techniques
ABDUL MAJID
Department of Physics
University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Muzaffarabad
Pakistan
Prof. Dr. Abdul Majid

Department of Physics, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK), Pakistan

(For M. Phil. /PhD in Physics)
PHY-7215
Credit:3
Course Objectives
By the year 2030, several hundreds gigawatts of power must be generated from low-carbon
sources to cap atmospheric CO2 concentrations at levels deemed "lower-risk" by the current scientific
consensus. The necessity to develop low-carbon energy sources represents not only an awesome technological
and engineering challenge, but also an equally large economic opportunity in a trillion-dollar energy market.
Course Description
Aim of this course is to provide some understanding to students about that
how solar cells convert light into electricity,
how solar cells are manufactured,
how solar cells are evaluated,
what technologies are currently on the market, and
how to evaluate the risk and potential of existing and emerging solar cell technologies.
We will also try examine the potential & drawbacks of currently manufactured technologies (singleand multi-crystalline silicon, tandem cells, CdTe, CIGS, CPV, PVT), as well as pre-commercial technologies
(organics, biomimetic, organic/inorganic hybrid, and nanostructure-based solar cells).

Course Contents
Photovoltaic
Overview of world energy, Options for harnessing solar energy and their respective current and projected
costs/potential, compared to traditional sources. Fundamentals of photoelectric conversion: charge
excitation, conduction, separation, and collection. Commercial and emerging photovoltaic (PV)
technologies. Cross-cutting themes in PV: conversion efficiencies, loss mechanisms, characterization,
manufacturing, systems, reliability, life-cycle analysis, risk analysis. Photovoltaic technology evolution in the
context of markets, policies, society, and environment.
Charge excitation and conduction
How light is converted to electricity. Direct and indirect semiconductor bandgaps. Optical properties of
semiconductors. Introduction to intrinsic, doped semiconductors, conjugated polymers. Minority carrier
mobility, lifetime, diffusion length. Charge excitation in non-semiconducting materials. Conduction,
dispersive hopping.
Charge separation
How voltage, current are formed. Minority-carrier devices: semiconductor pn-junctions. IV curves. Majoritycarrier devices (organics). Quantum-size effects of charge separation.
Charge collection, and the solar cell device
Metallization. Solar cell device architectures. Common limitations of efficiency, short-circuit current, fill
factor, open-circuit voltage.
Commercial technologies-I
Crystalline silicon solar cells, Crystal growth: ingot silicon, ribbon and sheet silicon. Wafering. Cell
fabrication: methods, architectures, concepts. History, state-of-the-art. Emerging trends, cutting-edge
technology. Role of innovation.
Commercial technologies-II
Thin Films: thin film silicon (incl. amorphous, SiGe, micromorph, tandem cells), cadmium telluride, copper
indium gallium diselenide. Precursors. Deposition processes and technologies. Other technologies:
concentrator devices and materials, heterojunction devices, photovoltaic thermal.
Course Contents
Developing technologies
Organic PV. Organic/Inorganic hybrid systems (dye-sensitized, nano hybrid). Inorganic nanostructured
materials, incl. quantum dots, nanostructured devices, and layered structures. Biological and biomimetic
systems. Novel thin film materials, multiband semiconductors, hot carrier devices, spectrum splitting.
Photoelectric conversion efficiency
Theoretical efficiency limits. Efficiency loss mechanisms. Optical losses, recombination losses, surface
recombination velocity, series and parallel resistance (shunts). Specific loss mechanisms in each
technology class. Evaluation of loss mechanisms, common characterization tools.
Modules, systems, and reliability
Module manufacturing: encapsulation materials, availability, trends.
Systems: grid-tied and stand-alone, tracking and non-tracking. System components, including balance of
systems components. Design criteria, tradeoffs, costs. Building integration, BIPV. System integration.
Scaling, and integration into the power grid. Appropriate technology selection. Life cycle analysis. The
energy storage challenge.Failure: failure modes in stationary and tracking systems, accelerated testing,
field testing, service and warranty contracts.
Cost and manufacturability
Cost: building a cost model, key drivers of cost, substitution economics. Manufacturing: environments,
models, operations, process yield, handling. Predicting shortages and bottlenecks. Scaling: the multi-GW
plant. Production technologies.
Price, markets, and subsidies
Price and markets: what sets price (and profit), energy future and overview of renewable energy sources,
economics and market dynamics. Fluctuations in supply and demand, drivers for oversupply/undersupply
conditions, and what this means for profits.

Books
Bube, R. H. Photovoltaic Materials. London, UK: Imperial College Press, 1998. ISBN: 9781860940651.
Green, M. A. Solar Cells: Operating Principles, Technology and System Applications. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1981. ISBN: 9780138222703.
Peter Wurfel, Physics of Solar cells: from Principles to new Concepts, Wiley VCH, Verlag GmbH, 2005.
ISBN: 3527404287.
Wenham, S. R., M. A. Green, M. E. Watt, R. Corkish. Applied Photovoltaics. 2nd ed. New York, NY:
Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2007. ISBN: 9781844074013.
Markvart, Thomas II. Castafier, Luis, Solar Cells: Materials, Manufacture and Operation, Elsevier, 2005,
ISBN: 13: 9781856174571 (ISBN-10: 1856174573)
Green, M. A. Silicon Solar Cells: Advanced Principles and Practice. Sydney, Australia: Centre for
Photovoltaic Devices & Systems, 1995. ISBN: 9780733409943.
Stephen J. Fonash, Solar Cell Device Physics, 2nd ed. Elsevier, 2010, ISBN 978-0-12-374774-7
Aberle, A. G. Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells - Advanced Surface Passivation & Analysis. Sydney,
Australia: University of New South Wales, 2004. ISBN: 9780733406454
Poortmans, J., and V. Arkhipov. Thin Film Solar Cells: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications.
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN: 9780470091265.
Green, M. A. Third Generation Photovoltaics: Advanced Solar Energy Conversion. New York, NY:
Springer-Verlag, 2007. ISBN: 9783540265627.
Luque, A., and S. Hegedus. Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering. Hoboken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons, 2003. ISBN: 9780471491965.

Books
Bube, R. H. Photovoltaic Materials. London, UK: Imperial College Press, 1998. ISBN: 9781860940651.
Green, M. A. Solar Cells: Operating Principles, Technology and System Applications. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1981. ISBN: 9780138222703.
Peter Wurfel, Physics of Solar cells: from Principles to new Concepts, Wiley VCH, Verlag GmbH, 2005.
ISBN: 3527404287.
Wenham, S. R., M. A. Green, M. E. Watt, R. Corkish. Applied Photovoltaics. 2nd ed. New York, NY:
Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2007. ISBN: 9781844074013.
Markvart, Thomas II. Castafier, Luis, Solar Cells: Materials, Manufacture and Operation, Elsevier, 2005,
ISBN: 13: 9781856174571 (ISBN-10: 1856174573)
Green, M. A. Silicon Solar Cells: Advanced Principles and Practice. Sydney, Australia: Centre for
Photovoltaic Devices & Systems, 1995. ISBN: 9780733409943.
Stephen J. Fonash, Solar Cell Device Physics, 2nd ed. Elsevier, 2010, ISBN 978-0-12-374774-7
Aberle, A. G. Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells - Advanced Surface Passivation & Analysis. Sydney,
Australia: University of New South Wales, 2004. ISBN: 9780733406454
Poortmans, J., and V. Arkhipov. Thin Film Solar Cells: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications.
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN: 9780470091265.
Green, M. A. Third Generation Photovoltaics: Advanced Solar Energy Conversion. New York, NY:
Springer-Verlag, 2007. ISBN: 9783540265627.
Luque, A., and S. Hegedus. Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering. Hoboken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons, 2003. ISBN: 9780471491965.

Energy Economy
Fundamental unit of Energy is Joule ( J )
1 J = amount of energy required to heat 1g water by a quarter (1/4) of a degree
= amount of energy which a hair drier with a power 1kW consume in 1ms
A More practical unit of energy is Kilo Watt hour (kWh) i.e.
3.6 x 106 J = 3.6 MJ =1kWh
= energy contained in 100 g Chocolate
Energy of Fossil fuel is often given in barrels of oil equivalents
or in (metric) tons of coal equivalents (t coal equ.)

Energy Economy

Energy Economy
Total World Population = 6 x 109 person
Total World Energy resources out of hydo, Wind and biomass, and let that may be 10 x 1012 t coal equ

Where we are?
This image is a work of a United States Department of Energy. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

10
Where we are?

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Where we are?
Where we are?

12
SUN: An Ultimate Energy Source ?

13
A parabolic trough collector (A simplified alternative to a parabolic

trough concentrator is the linear Fresnel mirror reflector.).
14
In March 2007 Europe.s first commercial solar power concentrating plant,

known as PS10, opened near the Spanish city of Seville.
15
Temperature at surface the sun is about 6000K.

Power density 5.961 107 W.m2 at its surface the sun
Power density 1353 W.m2 in Earth orbit, at distance of 150 106km
Power density 1000 W.m2 at the Earths surface.
The exact figure for the solar power density depends on
latitude,
season,
climatic conditions
and albedo of the surroundings.
Variations in latitude are accounted for through the air mass (AM) factor,
defined as the secant of the angle from the sun to the zenith.

16

17

Variations in latitude are accounted for through the air mass (AM) factor,
defined as the secant of the angle from the sun to the zenith.
Therefore AM0 is appropriate for space,

AM1 appropriate at midday on the equator and
rising to AM2 at other latitudes and times of day.
The scientific standard, agreed for terrestrial solar cell calibration is AM 1.5 at
1000W.m2 at 25C, an artificial quantity but convenient as an accurate basis for
comparison.
More realistic values for AM1.5 irradiance are 768W.m2 direct (no secondary
reflection from the ground) and 963W.m2 global (37 tilt, incorporating an average
ground albedo)

18
Trend of cost per watt for solar cells and volume of production experience
curve for PV.

19
Annual investment in new renewable energy capacity,

19952007.
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Forecast for (megawatts) the photovoltaics world market 2010: Germany will remain the solar
power champion with a market share of 36%, followed by the USA (15%) and Japan (12%).
Spain takes up place 4 with 8% market share, then China (6%) and India (4%). Italy, France and
Greece together achieve 7%.
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PV production (MW) by top ten companies (Source: Earth Policy Institute, 2007).

22
Efficient cost trade-off for the three generations of solar cell technologies:
wafer, thin-films, advanced thin-films.
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Better utilization of the solar spectrum through the multijunction approach.

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Solar Energy Conversion Techniques

Prof. Dr. Abdul Majid