Introduction To Light Trapping In Solar Cell And Photo Detector Devices

New Approaches to Light Trapping in Solar Cell Devices discusses in detail the use of photonic and plasmonic effects for light trapping in solar cells. It compares and contrasts texturing, the current method of light-trapping design in solar cells, with emerging approaches employing photonic and plasmonic phenomena. These new light trapping methods reduce the amount of absorber required in a solar cell, promising significant cost reduction and efficiency. This book highlights potential advantages of photonics and plasmonics and describes design optimization using computer modeling of these approaches. Its discussion of ultimate efficiency possibilities in solar cells is grounded in a review of the Shockley-Queisser analysis; this includes an in-depth examination of recent analyses building on that seminal work.

This book offers essential insights into c-Si based solar cells and fundamentals of reflection, refraction, and light trapping. The basic physics and technology for light trapping in c-Si based solar cells are covered, from traditional to advanced light trapping structures. Further, the book discusses the latest developments in plasmonics for c-Si solar cell applications, along with their future scope and the requirements for further research. The book offers a valuable guide for graduate students, researchers and professionals interested in the latest trends in solar cell technologies.

Solar Cells and Light Management: Materials, Strategies and Sustainability provides an extensive review on the latest advances in PV materials, along with light management strategies for better exploiting the solar spectrum. Following a brief review of the current status of solar cells, the book discusses different concepts, principles and technologies for solar devices, starting with standard silicon cells and then covering organic-hybrid, DSSC, perovskite, quantum dots and nanostructured oxide solar cells. Other sections focus on light manipulation and spectral modification, materials for spectral conversion, and environmental and sustainably considerations. An emergy analysis, which is an extension of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology, is applied to the study of solar PV systems, thus allowing for effective integrated indicators. Provides a comprehensive picture of light management strategies Features the most recent advances in the field, including novel materials and advanced solar cell technologies Presents a resource that is applicable to both new or experienced researchers in the field Contains a section on environmental and sustainability issues

This selection is focused on coatings and films with applications in optoelectronics, such as photovoltaics, photocatalysis, and light-based sensors and phenomena. The studies investigate the optimal composition, crystalline structure, and morphology to deliver the different functionalities sought. Obtaining transparent p-type electrodes is challenging but extremely relevant in optoelectronics. Electric conduction mechanisms and the correlations with structure and doping are discussed. The important issue of the degradation pathways in perovskite-based solar cells and the possibilities offered by different types of coatings to encapsulate the devices as well as the beneficial effect of silica coating as an antireflection and antisoiling layer on well-established solar cells are discussed. New designs of nanoplasmonic films for chemical and biological molecule sensing are reviewed, such as the combination of metallic nanoparticles and nanostructured semiconductors and dispersing metallic or bi-metallic nanoparticles in CuO films. The impacts of structure, defects, and morphology on the photoactivated properties of WO3 films and on the shape memory behavior in Cu–Al–Ni thin films are discussed. Aggregated TiO2 nanoparticles on TiO2 layers are shown to enhance optical transmittance and confer a superhydrophilic characteristic. Finally, aspects of the fundamental characterization of thin films, Drude damping in thin films, and laser-induced deflection technique are discussed.

Solar cells are semiconductor devices that convert light photons into electricity in photovoltaic energy conversion and can help to overcome the global energy crisis. Solar cells have many applications including remote area power systems, earth-orbiting satellites, wristwatches, water pumping, photodetectors and remote radiotelephones. Solar cell technology is economically feasible for commercial-scale power generation. While commercial solar cells exhibit good performance and stability, still researchers are looking at many ways to improve the performance and cost of solar cells via modulating the fundamental properties of semiconductors. Solar cell technology is the key to a clean energy future. Solar cells directly harvest energy from the sun’s light radiation into electricity are in an ever-growing demand for future global energy production. Solar cell-based energy harvesting has attracted worldwide attention for their notable features, such as cheap renewable technology, scalable, lightweight, flexibility, versatility, no greenhouse gas emission, environment, and economy friendly and operational costs are quite low compared to other forms of power generation. Thus, solar cell technology is at the forefront of renewable energy technologies which are used in telecommunications, power plants, small devices to satellites. Aiming at large-scale implementation can be manipulated by various types used in solar cell design and exploration of new materials towards improving performance and reducing cost. Therefore, in-depth knowledge about solar cell design is fundamental for those who wish to apply this knowledge and understanding in industries and academics. This book provides a comprehensive overview on solar cells and explores the history to evolution and present scenarios of solar cell design, classification, properties, various semiconductor materials, thin films, wafer-scale, transparent solar cells, and so on. It also includes solar cells’ characterization analytical tools, theoretical modeling, practices to enhance conversion efficiencies, applications and patents.

Environmental problems derived from the massive use of conventional energy resources are one of the main issues that our society has been facing in recent decades. Renewable energies (and particularly solar energy) have become a highly competitive means to meet the world’s increasing energy demands in a sustainable and clean manner. One of the key research challenges for the commercial deployment of several solar energy technologies is focused on the development of feasible and durable coatings that withstand appropriate optical and thermal performance over the lifetime of the solar facilities. This book addresses a number of relevant aspects related to coatings for renewable energies, including a deep survey of coatings used in photovoltaic solar energy, the development of a superhydrophobic and thermal stable silica coating that is potentially suitable for various industrial applications related to renewable technologies, the development of coatings to improve the resistance of structural materials used in concentrating solar thermal technologies with molten salts, and several research works related to solar reflectors for concentrating solar thermal technologies (such us the advanced analysis of the corrosion, the suitability of anti-soiling coatings, and the development of top protective coatings for high-temperature secondary concentrators).