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Introduction to Solar Cells New Materials for solar cells applications Introduction in new materials for solar cells applications A holistic and Scalable Solution for research, innovation and Education in Energy Transition Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy Table of Contents • History of Solar Cells • Basic terminology and definitions • Overview of solar cells applications • Solar cell in space Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework (Source: Vivint Solar Developer, 2020) Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 2 The history of Solar Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework (Source: EnergySage,2020) Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 3 Who invented solar panels? • 7th century B.C.: Earliest uses -> magnifying glass to start fires for cooking. • 3rd century B.C.: Greeks and Romans “burning mirrors” to light sacred torches for religious ceremonies. • Sunrooms were invented in ancient times to capture solar energy for its natural warmth. • Greek scientist Archimedes: setting fire to besieging wooden ships from the Roman Empire-> he reflected the sun’s light energy off of bronze shields, concentrating the rays and attacking the enemy before they made landfall. • Experiment in solar power by the Greek navy in the 1970s: set fire to a wooden test ship 50 meters away using legendary bronze shield and the solar light energy. Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 4 Solar power cell technology invented • 1839 French physicist Edmond Becquerel: discovered the photovoltaic effect • Μore electricity when it was exposed to light • 1873 Willoughby Smith: selenium could function as a photoconductor • 1876 William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day: they recorded that selenium could, in fact, generate electricity when exposed to light. • 1883, American inventor Charles Fritz: created the first working selenium solar cell. • In a way, many physicists played a part in solar cell invention. • Becquerel is attributed with uncovering the potential of the photovoltaic effect, and Fritz with actually creating the ancestor to all solar cells. Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 5 Awareness and production of solar technology • Albert Einstein: bringing the world’s attention to solar energy and its potential. • Bell Labs in 1954, Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson: practical solar cell using silicon. • Advantages to silicon are better efficiency and its wide availability as a natural resource. • In 1964, NASA launched the Nimbus satellite, which ran entirely on its 470-watt photovoltaic solar panel array. • It wouldn’t be long now until solar energy’s potential moved from outer space to homes and businesses on planet earth. Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 6 Solar panels as a viable energy alternative • 1970s, an oil shortage brought awareness of U.S. dependency on foreign energy resources. • Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed onto the White House roof. • Statement to make clean energy through solar more tangible for people, and to spread awareness. • Cost and efficiency have slowly been improving. • Perhaps the most significant leaps forward for solar, in both efficiency and price, have been in the past several years. Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 7 Solar panel efficiency and price over the years • Becquerel’s initial uncovering of the photovoltaic effect: 1% efficiency and around $300 per watt. It cost about $2 – $3 per watt to generate electricity from coal at the time. • Bell Labs’ 1954 silicon solar cells: 4 % efficiency and later achieved 11 % efficiency. • 1959, Hoffman Electronics: 10 % efficiency. Soon after, 14 % efficiency in 1960. • Τhe price reduced to around $100 per watt. • Dr. Elliot Berman’s research in the 1970s: less expensive solar cell, $20 per watt. • Nowadays, 15 and 18 % efficiency and can cost as low as $0.50 per watt. • Since the 1980s, the cost of solar panels has dropped 10 % per year on average. Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 8 (Source: SolarOptimum, US Department of Energy, 2020) 9 Solar panel efficiency and price over the years • We started out concentrating the sun’s heat with glass and mirrors to light fires. • Today, we have everything from solar-powered buildings to solar powered vehicles. • Μilestones in the historical development of solar technology, century by century, and year by year. • You can also glimpse the future! Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 10 The history of Solar Power 7th Century B.C. Magnifying glass used to concentrate sun’s rays to make fire and to burn ants 3rd Century B.C. Greeks and Romans use burning mirrors to light torches for religious purposes 2nd Century B.C. As early as 212 BC, Archimedes, used the reflective properties of bronze shields to focus sunlight and to set fire to wooden ships from the Roman Empire which were besieging Syracuse. (Although no proof of such a feat exists, the Greek navy recreated the experiment in 1973 and successfully set fire to a wooden boat at a distance of 50 meters.) Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 11 The history of Solar Power 20 A.D. China: use of burning mirrors to light torches for religious purposes 1st to 4th Century A.D. The famous Roman bathhouses in the first to (Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/289356344782743481/) fourth centuries A.D. had large south facing windows to let in the sun’s warmth. 6th Century A.D. Sunrooms on houses and public buildings were so common that the Justinian Code initiated “sun rights” to ensure individual access to the sun. Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 12 The history of Solar Power 1200s A.D. Ancestors of Pueblo people called Anasazi in North America live in south-facing cliff dwellings that capture the winter sun. (Source: https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-americas/enigma-anasazi-00393) Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 13 The history of Solar Power 1767 Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure building the world’s first solar collector, later used by Sir John Herschel to cook food during his South Africa expedition in the 1830s. 1816 Robert Stirling applied for a patent for his economizer at the Chancery in Edinburgh, Scotland. Kelvin used one of Stirling’s working models during some of his university classes. This engine was later used in the dish/Stirling system, a solar thermal electric technology that concentrates the sun’s thermal energy in order to produce power. Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 14 The history of Solar Power 1839 French scientist Edmond Becquerel discovers the photovoltaic effect while experimenting with an electrolytic cell made up of two metal electrodes placed in an electricity-conducting solution—electricity- generation increased when exposed to light. 1860s (Source: US Department of Energy, 2020) French mathematician August Mouchet proposed an idea for solar- powered steam engines. In the following two decades, he and his assistant, Abel Pifre, constructed the first solar powered engines and used them for a variety of applications. These engines became the predecessors of modern parabolic dish collectors. 1873 Willoughby Smith discovered the photoconductivity of selenium. Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 15 The history of Solar Power 1876 William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day discover that selenium produces electricity when exposed to light. Although selenium solar cells failed to convert enough sunlight to power electrical equipment, they proved that a solid material could change light into electricity without heat or moving parts. 1880 Samuel P. Langley, invents the bolometer, which is used to measure light from the faintest stars and the sun’s heat rays. It consists of a fine wire connected to an electric circuit. When radiation falls on the wire, it becomes very slightly warmer. This increases the electrical resistance of the wire. 1883 Charles Fritts, an American inventor, described the first solar cells made from selenium wafers. Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement n. 837854 www.energytransition.academy 16 The history of Solar Power 1887 Heinrich Hertz discovered that ultraviolet light altered the lowest voltage capable of causing a spark to jump between two metal electrodes. 1891 Baltimore inventor Clarence Kemp patented the first commercial solar water heater. 1904 Wilhelm Hallwachs discovered that a combination of copper and cuprous oxide is photosensitive. 1905 Albert Einstein
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