Solar Power Generation: Technology, New Concepts & Policy

by Reddy; P. Jayarama

• ISBN13: 9780415621106
• ISBN10: 0415621100
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-03-22
• Publisher: CRC Press

Summary

An overview of the current status of solar power engineering with a global scope. In four parts, this well-researched volume informs about (1) established solar PV (photovoltaic) technologies; (2) third-generation PV technologies based on new materials with potential for low-cost large-scale production; (3) new concepts' based solar cells (third-generation concepts) such as quantum dot solar cells and nano wire solar cells using silicon and compound semiconductors (4) economic implications and effects, as well as policies and incentives in various countries of the world involved with solar energy implementation. Besides manufacturing facts and implementation issues, special focus put on the implications of policy measures in countries with good PV activity, such as Japan, China, India, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the United States, and Canada. Intended as a reference text for a global audience of advanced students, R&D and industry professionals, as well investors and policy makers with fundamental knowledge of photovoltaic technology.

Author Biography

Dr. P. Jayarama Reddy is an energy consultant to the solar photovoltaic industry and serves as a board member of several international renewable energy companies related to solar module fabrication, power generation from biomass and municipal solid waste. He is a retired professor of Physics (Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupathi, India) and has worked in various big research laboratories at Cornell University (US), Imperial College London (UK), Charles University (Czech Republic) and Stuttgart University (Germany). Dr. Reddy is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK) and has published a number of papers on polycrystalline thin film solar materials and cells, as well as the book 'Science and Technology of Photovoltaics', published by BS Publications /CRC Press/Balkema.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Silicon solar cells	p. 9
Introduction	p. 9
Features of standard c-silicon cells	p. 10
Progress in cell efficiency	p. 12
Mono-crystalline Si solar cells	p. 14
Buried contact solar cells	p. 14
Passivated emitter, rear locally diffused (PERL) cell	p. 15
HIT solar cell	p. 18
Interdigitated back contract (IBC) solar cells	p. 20
Industrial mono-Si solar cells	p. 22
Multi (poly) crystalline silicon solar cells	p. 24
EWT and MWT polycrystalline Si cells	p. 25
Polycrystalline buried contact solar cells	p. 27
EFG and SRG techniques	p. 28
PLUTO multi-crystalline Si modules	p. 29
Materials and processing	p. 29
Al2O3 deposition for surface passivation	p. 30
Inkjet technology for cell fabrication	p. 31
Future for crystalline silicon solar cells	p. 33
Amorphous silicon solar cells	p. 34
Overview of technology development	p. 34
a-Si:H thin film solar cells	p. 35
Microcrystalline (¿c-)Silicon thin film solar cells	p. 37
Tandem and multi-junction a-Si:H cells	p. 40
Fabrication of a-Si thin film modules	p. 41
a-Si/¿c-Si tandem solar cell	p. 43
Turnkey systems for a-Si solar cell module production	p. 45
Improving efficiency of Si TF solar cells	p. 46
Polycrystalline CIGS and CdTe thin film solar cells	p. 61
Introduction	p. 61
Highlights of CIGS and CdTe technologies	p. 61
CIGS thin film solar cells	p. 63
Absorber layer deposition	p. 64
State-of-the-art technologies	p. 67
Band gap engineering of absorber (CIGS) layer	p. 68
Novel absorber layers	p. 69
Alternative buffer layers	p. 70
Fabrication of CIGSS modules	p. 71
Flexible CIGS solar devices	p. 72
Vacuum-free deposition	p. 72
CdTe thin film solar cells	p. 73
CdTe cell structure elements	p. 75
Standard module fabrication	p. 76
Industrial CdTe modules	p. 77
Flexible CdTe solar cells	p. 79
Challenges to be addressed	p. 79
Polycrystalline TF multi junction solar cells	p. 82
Manufacturing cost of thin film modules	p. 83
Organic and dye-sensitized solar cells	p. 95
Introduction	p. 95
Configuration & principle of organic solar cell	p. 97
Types of organic solar cells	p. 99
Single layer organic solar cells	p. 99
Bi-layer organic solar cells	p. 100
Bulk hetero junction solar cells (BHJ cells)	p. 101
Dye-sensitized nanostructured solar cells	p. 109
Configuration of the cell	p. 109
Performance of DSSCs	p. 112
Dye-sensitized solar modules	p. 113
Lifetimes of polymer cells	p. 114
Manufacturing status of DSC and OPV cells	p. 115
Improving efficiencies	p. 116
Nano-TiO2 dye/CIGS tandem solar cells	p. 117
High-efficiency solar devices	p. 129
Introduction	p. 129
III-V multi junction solar cells	p. 129
Introduction	p. 129
Basic principles of multi-junction solar cells	p. 130
Fabrication of Triple-junction solar cells	p. 133
Future design considerations	p. 135
Metamorphic (lattice-mismatched) solar cells	p. 136
Four-junction (terrestrial) solar cells	p. 140
Five-and six-junction solar cells	p. 142
Prospects for multi junction solar cells	p. 142
High concentration PV technology (HCPV)	p. 143
Introduction	p. 143
Classification of CPV	p. 143
Merits of CPV	p. 144
Status of CPV	p. 145
Overview of HCPV modules	p. 145
Research and development	p. 148
Installations with HCPV modules	p. 153
Cost benefits	p. 154
CPV and cogeneration	p. 154
New concepts based solar cells	p. 161
Quantum dot solar cells	p. 161
Silicon-QD solar cell	p. 163
III-V multi junction QD solar cells	p. 165
Nanowire (NW) solar cells	p. 170
Silicon NW solar cells	p. 171
Compound semiconductor NW solar cells	p. 175
NW-polymer hybrid solar cells	p. 177
InP nanowire - polymer (P3HT) hybrid solar cell	p. 178
Microcrystalline silicon nanorods/P3HT hybrid solar cells	p. 180
TiO2 nanotube arrays in DSCs	p. 181
Third-generation concepts under development	p. 183
Hot Carrier solar cells	p. 183
Plasmonic photovoltaics	p. 185
Nanostructured materials for thin film solar cells	p. 190
Crystalline silicon on glass (CSG) solar cells	p. 193
Production of CSG modules	p. 197
Policies and Incentives	p. 207
Introduction	p. 207
Incentive mechanisms	p. 208
Policies in selected countries	p. 208
Annexure	p. 231
Subject index	p. 233
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