The State Of The Art Of Thin Film Photovoltaics

PHYSICS OF THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAICS Tackling one of the hottest topics in renewables, thin-film photovoltaics, the authors present the latest updates, technologies, and applications, offering the most up-to-date and thorough coverage available to the engineer, scientist, or student. It appears rather paradoxical that thin-film photovoltaics (PVs) are made of materials that seem unacceptable from the classical PV perspective, and yet they often outperform classical PV. This exciting new volume solves that paradox by switching to a new physics paradigm. Many concepts here fall beyond the classical PV scope. The differences lie in device thinness (microns instead of millimeters) and morphology (non-crystalline instead of crystalline). In such structures, the charge carriers can reach electrodes without recombination. On the other hand, thin disordered structures render a possibility of detrimental lateral nonuniformities (“recombination highways”), and their energy spectra give rise to new recombination modes. The mechanisms of thermal exchange and device degradation are correspondingly unique. The overall objective of this book is to give a self-contained in-depth discussion of the physics of thin-film systems in a manner accessible to both researchers and students. It covers most aspects of the physics of thin-film PV, including device operations, material structure and parameters, thin-film junction formation, analytical and numerical modeling, concepts of large area effects and lateral non-uniformities, physics of shunting (both shunt growth and effects), and device degradation. Also, it reviews a variety of physical diagnostic techniques proven with thin-film PV. Whether for the veteran engineer or the student, this is a must-have for any library. This outstanding new volume: Covers not only the state-of-the-art of thin-film photovoltaics, but also the basics, making this volume useful not just to the veteran engineer, but the new-hire or student as well Offers a comprehensive coverage of thin-film photovoltaics, including operations, modeling, non-uniformities, piezo-effects, and degradation Includes novel concepts and applications never presented in book format before Is an essential reference, not just for the engineer, scientist, and student, but the unassuming level of presentation also makes it accessible to readers with a limited physics background Is filled with workable examples and designs that are helpful for practical applications Is useful as a textbook for researchers, students, and faculty for understanding new ideas in this rapidly emerging field Audience: Industrial professionals in photovoltaics, such as engineers, managers, research and development staff, technicians, government and private research labs; also academic and research universities, such as physics, chemistry, and electrical engineering departments, and graduate and undergraduate students studying electronic devices, semiconductors, and energy disciplines

The book is devoted to the spatial characterization of solar cells and PV modules. It is written both as a monograph as well as a succinct guide for the state-of-the-art spatial characterization techniques and approaches. Amongst the approaches discussed are visual imaging, electro- and photo-luminescence imaging, thermography, and light beam induced mapping techniques. Emphasis is given on the luminescence image acquisition and interpretation due to its great potential. Characterization techniques are accompanied by simulation tools. The contents are aimed at a readership of students and senior researchers in R&D as well as engineers in industry who are newcomers to the spatial characterization of either solar cells or PV modules. The concepts and approaches presented herein are based on but not limited to case studies of real thin-film PV devices. Key features:  Review of spatially resolved characterization techniques and accompanying SPICE simulations in photovoltaics  Use of spatially resolved characterization techniques and their combinations for the identification of inhomogeneities in small area CdTe and dye-sensitized solar cells  Case studies of electroluminescence imaging of commercial PV modules (c-Si, CIGS, CdTe, a-Si, tandem and triple junction thin-film-Si) The contents are aimed at a readership of students and senior researchers in R&D as well as engineers in industry who are newcomers to the spatial characterization of either solar cells or PV modules. The concepts and approaches presented herein are based on but not limited to case studies of real thin-film PV devices. Key features:  Review of spatially resolved characterization techniques and accompanying SPICE simulations in photovoltaics  Use of spatially resolved characterization techniques and their combinations for the identification of inhomogeneities in small area CdTe and dye-sensitized solar cells  Case studies of electroluminescence imaging of commercial PV modules (c-Si, CIGS, CdTe, a-Si, tandem and triple junction thin-film-Si)

This book reviews the current status of semiconductor materials for conversion of sunlight to electricity, and highlights advances in both basic science and manufacturing. Photovoltaic (PV) solar electric technology will be a significant contributor to world energy supplies when reliable, efficient PV power products are manufactured in large volumes at low cost. Expert chapters cover the full range of semiconductor materials for solar-to-electricity conversion, from crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon to cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium sulfide selenides, dye sensitized solar cells, organic solar cells, and environmentally friendly copper zinc tin sulfide selenides. The latest methods for synthesis and characterization of solar cell materials are described, together with techniques for measuring solar cell efficiency. Semiconductor Materials for Solar Photovoltaic Cells presents the current state of the art as well as key details about future strategies to increase the efficiency and reduce costs, with particular focus on how to reduce the gap between laboratory scale efficiency and commercial module efficiency. This book will aid materials scientists and engineers in identifying research priorities to fulfill energy needs, and will also enable researchers to understand novel semiconductor materials that are emerging in the solar market. This integrated approach also gives science and engineering students a sense of the excitement and relevance of materials science in the development of novel semiconductor materials. · Provides a comprehensive introduction to solar PV cell materials · Reviews current and future status of solar cells with respect to cost and efficiency · Covers the full range of solar cell materials, from silicon and thin films to dye sensitized and organic solar cells · Offers an in-depth account of the semiconductor material strategies and directions for further research · Features detailed tables on the world leaders in efficiency demonstrations · Edited by scientists with experience in both research and industry

This book presents new concepts for a next generation of PV. Among these concepts are: Multijunction solar cells, multiple excitation solar cells (or how to take benefit of high energy photons for the creation of more than one electron hole-pair), intermediate band solar cells (or how to take advantage of below band-gap energy photons) and related technologies (for quantum dots, nitrides, thin films), advanced light management approaches (plasmonics). Written by world-class experts in next generation photovoltaics this book is an essential reference guide accessible to both beginners and experts working with solar cell technology. The book deeply analyzes the current state-of-the-art of the new photovoltaic approaches and outlines the implementation paths of these advanced devices. Topics addressed range from the fundamentals to the description of state-of-the-art of the new types of solar cells.

Beginning with an overview and historical background of Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide (CZTS) technology, subsequent chapters cover properties of CZTS thin films, different preparation methods of CZTS thin films, a comparative study of CZTS and CIGS solar cell, computational approach, and future applications of CZTS thin film solar modules to both ground-mount and rooftop installation. The semiconducting compound (CZTS) is made up earth-abundant, low-cost and non-toxic elements, which make it an ideal candidate to replace Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) and CdTe solar cells which face material scarcity and toxicity issues. The device performance of CZTS-based thin film solar cells has been steadily improving over the past 20 years, and they have now reached near commercial efficiency levels (10%). These achievements prove that CZTS-based solar cells have the potential to be used for large-scale deployment of photovoltaics. With contributions from leading researchers from academia and industry, many of these authors have contributed to the improvement of its efficiency, and have rich experience in preparing a variety of semiconducting thin films for solar cells.

This book provides recent development in thin-film solar cells (TFSC). TFSC have proven the promising approach for terrestrial and space photovoltaics. TFSC have the potential to change the device design and produce high efficiency devices on rigid/flexible substrates with significantly low manufacturing cost. TFSC have several advantages in manufacturing compared to traditional crystalline Si-solar cells like less requirement of materials, can be prepared with earth’s abundant materials, less processing steps, easy to dispose, etc. Several universities/research institutes/industry in India and abroad are involved in the research area of thin-film solar cells. The book helps the readers to find the details about different thin-film technologies and its advancement at one place. Each chapter covers properties of materials, its suitability for PV applications, simple manufacturing processes and recent and past literature survey. The issues related to the development of high efficiency TFSC devices over large area and its commercial and future prospects are discussed.

Thin film photovoltaic-based solar modules produce power at a low cost per watt. They are ideal candidates for large-scale solar farms as well as building-integrated photovoltaic applications. They can generate consistent power, not only at elevated temperatures but also on cloudy, overcast days and at low sun angles.Thin film photovoltaics are second-generation solar cells produced by depositing one or more thin layers, or thin films, of photosensitive material on a suitable substrate such as glass, polymer, or metal. Thin film solar cells are based on various materials such as cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), and amorphous thin film silicon (a-Si, TF-Si) are commercially used in several conventional and advanced technologies.

Today, the silicon feedstock for photovoltaic cells comes from processes which were originally developed for the microelectronic industry. It covers almost 90% of the photovoltaic market, with mass production volume at least one order of magnitude larger than those devoted to microelectronics. However, it is hard to imagine that this kind of feedstock (extremely pure but heavily penalized by its high energy cost) could remain the only source of silicon for a photovoltaic market which is in continuous expansion, and which has a cumulative growth rate in excess of 30% in the last few years. Even though reports suggest that the silicon share will slowly decrease in the next twenty years, finding a way to manufacture a specific solar grade feedstock in large quantities, at a low cost while maintaining the quality needed, still remains a crucial issue. Thin film and quantum confinement-based silicon cells might be a complementary solution. Advanced Silicon Materials for Photovoltaic Applications has been designed to describe the full potentialities of silicon as a multipurpose material and covers: Physical, chemical and structural properties of silicon Production routes including the promise of low cost feedstock for PV applications Defect engineering and the role of impurities and defects Characterization techniques, and advanced analytical techniques for metallic and non-metallic impurities Thin film silicon and thin film solar cells Innovative quantum effects, and 3rd generation solar cells With contributions from internationally recognized authorities, this book gives a comprehensive analysis of the state-of-the-art of process technologies and material properties, essential for anyone interested in the application and development of photovoltaics.