DOCSLIB.ORG

Processing of Cds/Cdte Solar Cell and the Growth Model of Cdte Thin Film

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Processing of Cds/Cdte Solar Cell and the Growth Model of Cdte Thin Film New Jersey Institute of Technology Digital Commons @ NJIT Dissertations Electronic Theses and Dissertations Summer 8-31-2016 Processing of CdS/CdTe solar cell and the growth model of CdTe thin film Guogen Liu New Jersey Institute of Technology Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/dissertations Part of the Chemical Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Liu, Guogen, "Processing of CdS/CdTe solar cell and the growth model of CdTe thin film" (2016). Dissertations. 88. https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/dissertations/88 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at Digital Commons @ NJIT. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ NJIT. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Copyright Warning & Restrictions The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a, user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use” that user may be liable for copyright infringement, This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. Please Note: The author retains the copyright while the New Jersey Institute of Technology reserves the right to distribute this thesis or dissertation Printing note: If you do not wish to print this page, then select “Pages from: first page # to: last page #” on the print dialog screen The Van Houten library has removed some of the personal information and all signatures from the approval page and biographical sketches of theses and dissertations in order to protect the identity of NJIT graduates and faculty. ABSTRACT PROCESSING OF CDS/CDTE SOLAR CELL AND THE GROWTH MODEL OF CDTE THIN FILM by Guogen Liu Cadmium telluride is the only thin film photovoltaic (PV) technology to surpass crystalline silicon PV in the cost. The most common CdTe solar cells consist of a simple p-n heterojunction structure containing a p-doped CdTe layer and n-doped cadmium sulfide (CdS) layer, which acts as a window layer. Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) thin films are often deposited on glass substrates coated with TCO layers by the close-spaced sublimation (CSS) or sputter techniques in industrial because of in-line production integration. It is seldom reported that CdS is deposited by the chemical bath deposition (CBD) batch process. The bottleneck of CBD for commercial application is its low production rate and waste water treatment. This dissertation reports how to produce different thickness large area (100cm2) CdS thin film by CBD. The influence of the solution temperature and concentration on the thickness of CdS is investigated. This dissertation also reports a growth model for CdTe deposition including diffusion limited and sublimation limited. The model was consistent with experimental observations and showed very good agreement over a range of operating conditions. PROCESSING OF CDS/CDTE SOLAR CELL AND THE GROWTH MODEL OF CDTE THIN FILM By Guogen Liu A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering August 2016 Copyright © 2016 by Guogen Liu ALL RIGHTS RESERVED . APPROVAL PAGE PROCESSING OF CDS/CDTE SOLAR CELL AND THE GROWTH MODEL OF CDTE THIN FILM Guogen Liu Dr. Ken K. Chin, Dissertation Advisor Date Professor of Physics, Director of CNBM Photovoltaic Material Research Center, NJIT Dr. Laurent.Simon, Dissertation Advisor Date Associate Professor of Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering Dr. Alan E. Delahoy, Committee Member Date Research Professor of Physics, NJIT Dr. Reginald P Tomkins, Committee Member Date Professor of Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering Dr. Xiaoyang Xu, Committee Member Date Assistant Professor of Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering Dr. George E. Georgiou, Committee Member Date University Lecturer of Physics, NJIT BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Author: Guogen Liu Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Date: August 2016 Undergraduate and Graduate Education: • Doctor of Philosophy in Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, 2016 • Master of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Engineering, Beijing, P. R. China, 2007 • Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, Nanchang University, Jiangxi, P. R. China, 2004 Major: Chemical Engineering Presentations and Publications: Guogen Liu, Zimeng Chen, George E. Georgiou, Ken K. Chin, “The Growth Model of CdTe Thin Film by Close Spaced Sublimation,” at 42th IEEE Photovoltaic Conference, (June 2015). Zimeng Cheng, Alan E. Delahoy, Guogen Liu, Shou Peng, Congxiao Wang, Jingong Pan, Xin Cao and Ken K. Chin, “Modelling of The Nonstoichiometric Composition Shift In Physical Vapor Deposition of CdTe Thin Films Based on Experimental Results,” EUPVSEC, (2015). Guogen Liu, Zimeng Chen, Ken K. Chin, Robert B. Barat, George E. Georgiou, Alan E. Delahoy, “CdS Thin Film Grown by Aerosol-Assisted Deposition Method,” at 38th IEEE Photovoltaic Conference, (June 2012). Guogen Liu, Zimeng Chen, Ken K. Chin, Robert B. Barat, Alan E. Delahoy, George E. Georgiou, “Preparation and characterization of high efficiency CdS/CdTe solar cell, ” at VIII th Annual Graduate Student Research Day, NJIT, Newark, NJ, (Nov 2012). iv Poonam Kharangarh, Durgamadhab Misra, George E. Georgiou, Alan E. Delahoy, Zimeng Cheng, Guogen Liu, Halina Opyrchall, Timothy Gessert and Ken K. Chin, “Investigation of Defects in n+CdS/p-CdTe Solar Cells,” Proc. of 38th PVSC, Austin, TX USA , p. 1286, Jun 2012. Guogen Liu, Zimeng Chen, Ken K. Chin, Robert B. Barat, George E. Georgiou, “Large Area CdS Thin Film Grown By Chemical Bath Deposition,” In proceedings of 37th IEEE Photovoltaic Conference, June 2011. Guogen Liu, Zimeng Chen, Ken K. Chin, Robert B. Barat, George E. Georgiou, “Preparation and characterization of CdS/CdTe solar cell,” at VIth Annual Graduate Student Research Day, NJIT, Newark, NJ, Nov 2010. v To my family: Fuliang Liu, Aimei Xu, Qiaozhen Liu vi ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to express my deep gratitude and sincere appreciation to my advisors, Prof. Ken K. Chin and Prof. Laurent Simon, for their constant support and guidance throughout this work. Their valued advice, encouragement, and constructive criticism have been a great source of inspiration in the fulfillment of this thesis. I would also like to express my gratitude and thanks to all my committee members Dr. Reginald P. Tomkins, Dr. George E. Georgiou, Dr. Alan E. Delahoy and Dr. Xiaoyang Xu for their interest, useful suggestions, and support in this study. The valuable discussions and constructive suggestions from Tim Gessert and Jim Sites are greatly acknowledged. Many thanks to Chemical Engineering and CNBM for their funding support. Finally, I would also like to thank all my colleagues for their help and support in my work. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1 INTRODUCTION……............ ................………………..…………………………. 1 1.1 Why Renewable Energy? …………….…………………………..…….………. 1 1.1.1 Fossil Fuels................................................................................................. 2 1.1.2 Renewable Energy...................................................................................... 3 1.2 Why Solar Energy? ……….…..…………………..…………...….…………..... 6 1.3 Why CdTe Thin Film Solar Cell? ……………………….…………………...... 14 1.4 Structure of Cds/CdTe Solar Cell…..…………...………….………………....... 21 1.5 Pilot Line for Cds/CdTe Modules….…………………………..……………...... 27 2 DEPOSITION OF HIGH EFFICIENT CDTE SOLAR CELL................................... 36 2.1 Introduction ……….………………………………………………………….... 36 2.2 Preparation Of CdS/CdTe Solar Cell.................……. ….. ………………….…. 37 2.2.1 TCO Deposition.......................................................................................... 37 2.2.2 CdS Deposition........................................................................................... 38 2.2.3 CdTe Deposition…..................................................................................... 43 2.2.4 CdCl2 Treatment........................................................................................ 49 2.2.5 Back Contact.............................................................................................. 56 2.3 CdTe Solar Cell Efficiency................................................................................... 59 3 LARGE AREA CDS THIN FILM GROWN BY CBD……………………….……. 64 3.1 Introduction ……………….………………………..………………………...… 64 3.2 Preparation of CdS by CBD....…………….………………………………….… 66 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Chapter Page 3.3 Mechanism of CBD.............……………………………………………..…....… 68 3.4 Results and Discussion……………….……………………………………….... 70 3.4.2 Photoelectric Microscope Measurement....................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Three-Dimensional Metallo-Dielectric Selective Thermal Emitters With
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC Manuscript post-print for self-archiving purposes Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 134, 22—28 (2015) doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2014.11.017 Three-Dimensional Metallo-Dielectric Selective Thermal Emitters With High-Temperature Stability for Thermophotovoltaic Applications. Moisés Garín a*, David Hernández a, Trifon Trifonov a,b, Ramón Alcubilla a,b a Grup de Recerca en Micro i Nanotecnologies, Departament d’Enginyeria Electrònica, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Jordi Girona 1-3 Mòdul C4, Barcelona 08034, Spain. b Centre de Recerca en Nanoenginyeria, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Pascual i Vilà 15, Barcelona 08028, Spain. * E-mail: [email protected] Keywords: selective thermal emitters, thermophotovoltaics, photonic crystals, macroporous silicon ABSTRACT Selective thermal emitters concentrate most of their spontaneous emission in a spectral band much narrower than a blackbody. When used in a thermophovoltaic energy conversion system, they become key elements defining both its overall system efficiency and output power. Selective emitters' radiation spectra must be designed to match their accompanying photocell's band gap and, simultaneously, withstand high temperatures (above 1000 K) for long operation times. The advent of nanophotonics has allowed the engineering of very selective emitters and absorbers; however, thermal stability remains a challenge since 1 of 22 nanostructures become unstable at temperatures much below the melting point of the used materials. In this paper we explore an hybrid 3D dielectric-metallic structure that combines the higher thermal stability of a monocrystalline 3D Silicon scaffold with the optical properties of a thin Platinum film conformally deposited on top.
    [Show full text]
  • 15Th Workshop on Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells and Modules: Materials and Processes
    A national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation for Our Energy Future th Proceedings 15 Workshop on Crystalline NREL/BK-520-38573 Silicon Solar Cells and Modules: November 2005 Materials and Processes Extended Abstracts and Papers Workshop Chairman/Editor: B.L. Sopori Program Committee: M. Al-Jassim, J. Kalejs, J. Rand, T. Saitoh, R. Sinton, M. Stavola, R. Swanson, T. Tan, E. Weber, J. Werner, and B. Sopori Vail Cascade Resort Vail, Colorado August 7–10, 2005 NREL is operated by Midwest Research Institute ● Battelle Contract No. DE-AC36-99-GO10337 th Proceedings 15 Workshop on Crystalline NREL/BK-520-38573 Silicon Solar Cells and Modules: November 2005 Materials and Processes Extended Abstracts and Papers Workshop Chairman/Editor: B.L. Sopori Program Committee: M. Al-Jassim, J. Kalejs, J. Rand, T. Saitoh, R. Sinton, M. Stavola, R. Swanson, T. Tan, E. Weber, J. Werner, and B. Sopori Vail Cascade Resort Vail, Colorado August 7–10, 2005 Prepared under Task No. WO97G400 National Renewable Energy Laboratory 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, Colorado 80401-3393 303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by Midwest Research Institute • Battelle Contract No. DE-AC36-99-GO10337 NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or `process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Perovskite Solar Cells with Large Area CVD-Graphene for Tandem
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by HZB Repository 1 Perovskite Solar Cells with Large-Area CVD-Graphene 2 for Tandem Solar Cells 3 Felix Lang *, Marc A. Gluba, Steve Albrecht, Jörg Rappich, Lars Korte, Bernd Rech, and 4 Norbert H. Nickel 5 Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Institut für Silizium 6 Photovoltaik, Kekuléstr. 5, 12489 Berlin, Germany. 7 8 ABSTRACT: Perovskite solar cells with transparent contacts may be used to compensate 9 thermalization losses of silicon solar cells in tandem devices. This offers a way to outreach 10 stagnating efficiencies. However, perovskite top cells in tandem structures require contact layers 11 with high electrical conductivity and optimal transparency. We address this challenge by 12 implementing large area graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition as highly transparent 13 electrode in perovskite solar cells leading to identical charge collection efficiencies. Electrical 14 performance of solar cells with a graphene-based contact reached those of solar cells with 15 standard gold contacts. The optical transmission by far exceeds that of reference devices and 16 amounts to 64.3 % below the perovskite band gap. Finally, we demonstrate a four terminal 17 tandem device combining a high band gap graphene-contacted perovskite top solar cell 18 (Eg=1.6 eV) with an amorphous/crystalline silicon bottom solar cell (Eg=1.12 eV). 19 1 1 TOC GRAPHIC. 2 3 4 Hybrid perovskite methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) attracts ever-growing interest 5 for use as a photovoltaic absorber.1 Only recently, Jeon et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Solyndra: Examining the Department of Energy's Loan Guarantee Program Hilary Kao
    William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review Volume 37 | Issue 2 Article 4 Beyond Solyndra: Examining the Department of Energy's Loan Guarantee Program Hilary Kao Repository Citation Hilary Kao, Beyond Solyndra: Examining the Department of Energy's Loan Guarantee Program, 37 Wm. & Mary Envtl. L. & Pol'y Rev. 425 (2013), http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmelpr/vol37/iss2/4 Copyright c 2013 by the authors. This article is brought to you by the William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository. http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmelpr BEYOND SOLYNDRA: EXAMINING THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY’S LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM HILARY KAO* ABSTRACT In the year following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, the renewable and clean energy industries faced significant turmoil— from natural disasters, to political maelstroms, from the Great Recession, to U.S. debt ceiling debates. The Department of Energy’s Loan Guarantee Program (“DOE LGP”), often a target since before it ever received a dollar of appropriations, has been both blamed and defended in the wake of the bankruptcy filing of Solyndra, a California-based solar panel manufac- turer, in September 2011, because of the $535 million loan guarantee made to it by the Department of Energy (“DOE”) in 2009.1 Critics have suggested political favoritism in loan guarantee awards and have questioned the government’s proper role in supporting renewable energy companies and the renewable energy industry generally.2 This Article looks beyond the Solyndra controversy to examine the origin, structure and purpose of the DOE LGP. It asserts that loan guaran- tees can serve as viable policy tools, but require careful crafting to have the potential to be effective programs.
    [Show full text]
  • Cadmium Telluride Photovoltaics - Wikipedia 1 of 13
    Cadmium telluride photovoltaics - Wikipedia 1 of 13 Cadmium telluride photovoltaics Cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaics describes a photovoltaic (PV) technology that is based on the use of cadmium telluride, a thin semiconductor layer designed to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity.[1] Cadmium telluride PV is the only thin film technology with lower costs than conventional solar cells made of crystalline silicon in multi-kilowatt systems.[1][2][3] On a lifecycle basis, CdTe PV has the smallest carbon footprint, lowest water use and shortest energy payback time of any current photo voltaic technology. PV array made of cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar [4][5][6] CdTe's energy payback time of less than a year panels allows for faster carbon reductions without short- term energy deficits. The toxicity of cadmium is an environmental concern mitigated by the recycling of CdTe modules at the end of their life time,[7] though there are still uncertainties[8][9] and the public opinion is skeptical towards this technology.[10][11] The usage of rare materials may also become a limiting factor to the industrial scalability of CdTe technology in the mid-term future. The abundance of tellurium—of which telluride is the anionic form— is comparable to that of platinum in the earth's crust and contributes significantly to the module's cost.[12] CdTe photovoltaics are used in some of the world's largest photovoltaic power stations, such as the Topaz Solar Farm. With a share of 5.1% of worldwide PV production, CdTe technology accounted for more than half of the thin film market in 2013.[13] A prominent manufacturer of CdTe thin film technology is the company First Solar, based in Tempe, Arizona.
    [Show full text]
  • Thin Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells Based on Epitaxial Films Grown at 165°C by RF-PECVD
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by HAL-Polytechnique Thin crystalline silicon solar cells based on epitaxial films grown at 165 C by RF-PECVD Romain Cariou, Martin Labrune, Pere Roca I Cabarrocas To cite this version: Romain Cariou, Martin Labrune, Pere Roca I Cabarrocas. Thin crystalline silicon solar cells based on epitaxial films grown at 165 C by RF-PECVD. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Elsevier, 2011, 95 (8), pp.2260-2263. <10.1016/j.solmat.2011.03.038>. <hal-00749873v3> HAL Id: hal-00749873 https://hal-polytechnique.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00749873v3 Submitted on 14 May 2013 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destin´eeau d´ep^otet `ala diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publi´esou non, lished or not. The documents may come from ´emanant des ´etablissements d'enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche fran¸caisou ´etrangers,des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou priv´es. Thin crystalline silicon solar cells based on epitaxial films grown at 165°C by RF-PECVD Romain Carioua),*, Martin Labrunea),b), P. Roca i Cabarrocasa) aLPICM-CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France bTOTAL S.A., Gas & Power, R&D Division, Tour La Fayette, 2 Place des Vosges, La Défense 6, 92 400 Courbevoie, France Keywords Low temperature, Epitaxy; PECVD; Si thin film; Solar cell Abstract We report on heterojunction solar cells whose thin intrinsic crystalline absorber layer has been obtained by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 165°C on highly doped p-type (100) crystalline silicon substrates.
    [Show full text]
  • Metal Assisted Synthesis of Single Crystalline Silicon Nanowires At
    dicine e & N om a n n a o t N e f c o h Md Asgar et al., J Nanomed Nanotechnol 2014, 5:4 l n Journal of a o n l o r g u DOI: 10.4172/2157-7439.1000221 y o J ISSN: 2157-7439 Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology Research Article Open Access Metal Assisted Synthesis of Single Crystalline Silicon Nanowires at Room Temperature for Photovoltaic Application Md Asgar A1, Hasan M2, Md Huq F3* and Zahid H Mahmood4 1Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Trishal, Mymensingh, Bangladesh 2Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Kumargaon, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh 3Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh 4Department of Applied Physics Electronics and Communication Engineering, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh Abstract Synthesis of single crystalline silicon nanowires (SiNWs) array at room temperature by metal assisted chemical etching and its optical absorption measurements have been reported in this article. It has been confirmed that, SiNWs were formed uniformly on p-type silicon substrate by electroless deposition of Cu and Ag nanoparticles followed by wet chemical etching in (Hydrogen Fluoride) HF based Fe(NO3)3 solution. Synthesized SiNW structures were analyzed and investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-VIS) spectrophotometer. Formation of SiNWs is evident from the SEM images and morphology of the structures depends upon the concentration of chemical solution and etching time. The synthesized SiNWs have shown strong broadband optical absorption exhibited from UV- spectroscopy. More than 82% absorption of incident radiation is found for Cu treated samples and a maximum of 83% absorption of incident radiation is measured for Ag synthesized samples which is considerably enhanced than that of silicon substrate as they absorbed maximum of 43% of incoming radiation only.
    [Show full text]
  • First Solar Investor Overview
    FIRST SOLAR INVESTOR OVERVIEW IMPORTANT INFORMATION Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This presentation contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning: effects resulting from certain module manufacturing changes and associated restructuring activities; our business strategy, including anticipated trends and developments in and management plans for our business and the markets in which we operate; future financial results, operating results, revenues, gross margin, operating expenses, products, projected costs (including estimated future module collection and recycling costs), warranties, solar module technology and cost reduction roadmaps, restructuring, product reliability, investments in unconsolidated affiliates, and capital expenditures; our ability to continue to reduce the cost per watt of our solar modules; the impact of public policies, such as tariffs or other trade remedies imposed on solar cells and modules; our ability to expand manufacturing capacity worldwide; our ability to reduce the costs to construct photovoltaic (“PV”) solar power systems; research and development (“R&D”) programs and our ability to improve the conversion efficiency of our solar modules; sales and marketing initiatives; the impact of U.S. tax reform; and competition. These forward-looking statements are often characterized by the use of words such as “estimate,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “seek,” “believe,” “forecast,” “foresee,” “likely,” “may,” “should,” “goal,” “target,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “predict,” “continue” and the negative or plural of these words and other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and our projections about future events and therefore speak only as of the date of this presentation.
    [Show full text]
  • AS You Sow on Creating Greener Solar PV Panels
    AS You Sow on Creating Greener Solar PV Panels Andrew Burger. March 28, 2012 Advocating solar PV manufacturers adopt a set of industry best practices, a new survey and report highlights the environmental benefits of using solar photovoltaic (PV) energy as compared to fossil fuels, while at the same time criticizing ongoing, outsized government support for fossil fuel production. “Even though there are toxic compounds used in the manufacturing of many solar panels, the generation of electricity from solar energy is much safer to both the environment and workers than production of electricity from coal, natural gas, or nuclear,” stated Amy Galland, PhD and research director at non-profit group As You Sow. “For example, once a solar panel is installed, it generates electricity with no emissions of any kind for decades, whereas coal-fired power plants in the U.S. emitted nearly two billion tons of carbon dioxide and millions of tons of toxic compounds in 2010 alone.” Based on an international survey of more than 100 solar PV manufac- turers, the best practices in As You Sow’s report, “Clean & Green: Best Practices in Photovoltaics” aim to protect the employee and community health and safety, as well as the broader environment. Also analyzed are investor considerations regarding environmental, social and govern- ance for responsible management of solar PV manufacturing business- es. The best practices listed were determined in consultation with sci- entists, engineers, academics, government labs and industry consult- ants. Solar PV CSR survey and report card “We have been working with solar companies to study and minimize the environmental health and safety risks in the production of solar panels and the industry has embraced the opportunities,” Vasilis Fthenakis, PhD and director of the National PV Environmen- tal Health and Safety Research Center at Brookhaven National Laboratory and director of the Center for Life Cycle Analysis at Columbia University, explained.
    [Show full text]
  • Thin Film Cdte Photovoltaics and the U.S. Energy Transition in 2020
    Thin Film CdTe Photovoltaics and the U.S. Energy Transition in 2020 QESST Engineering Research Center Arizona State University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Clark A. Miller, Ian Marius Peters, Shivam Zaveri TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary .............................................................................................. 9 I - The Place of Solar Energy in a Low-Carbon Energy Transition ...................... 12 A - The Contribution of Photovoltaic Solar Energy to the Energy Transition .. 14 B - Transition Scenarios .................................................................................. 16 I.B.1 - Decarbonizing California ................................................................... 16 I.B.2 - 100% Renewables in Australia ......................................................... 17 II - PV Performance ............................................................................................. 20 A - Technology Roadmap ................................................................................. 21 II.A.1 - Efficiency ........................................................................................... 22 II.A.2 - Module Cost ...................................................................................... 27 II.A.3 - Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) ....................................................... 29 II.A.4 - Energy Payback Time ........................................................................ 32 B - Hot and Humid Climates ...........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Laying the Foundation for a Bright Future: Assessing Progress
    Laying the Foundation for a Bright Future Assessing Progress Under Phase 1 of India’s National Solar Mission Interim Report: April 2012 Prepared by Council on Energy, Environment and Water Natural Resources Defense Council Supported in part by: ABOUT THIS REPORT About Council on Energy, Environment and Water The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) is an independent nonprofit policy research institution that works to promote dialogue and common understanding on energy, environment, and water issues in India and elsewhere through high-quality research, partnerships with public and private institutions and engagement with and outreach to the wider public. (http://ceew.in). About Natural Resources Defense Council The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 1.3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Chicago; Livingston and Beijing. (www.nrdc.org). Authors and Investigators CEEW team: Arunabha Ghosh, Rajeev Palakshappa, Sanyukta Raje, Ankita Lamboria NRDC team: Anjali Jaiswal, Vignesh Gowrishankar, Meredith Connolly, Bhaskar Deol, Sameer Kwatra, Amrita Batra, Neha Mathew Neither CEEW nor NRDC has commercial interests in India’s National Solar Mission, nor has either organization received any funding from any commercial or governmental institution for this project. Acknowledgments The authors of this report thank government officials from India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), and other Government of India agencies, as well as United States government officials.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of the Risks Associated with Thin Film Solar Panel Technology
    Assessment of the Risks Associated with Thin Film Solar Panel Technology Submitted to First Solar by The Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research Virginia Tech 8 March 2019 Blacksburg, Virginia, USA VIRGINIA CENTER FOR COAL AND ENERGY RESEARCH www.energy.vt.edu The Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research (VCCER) was created by an Act of the Virginia General Assembly on March 30, 1977, as an interdisciplinary study, research, information and resource facility for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In July of that year, a directive approved by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Board of Visitors placed the VCCER under the University Provost because of its intercollegiate character, and because the Center's mandate encompasses the three missions of the University: instruction, research and extension. Derived from its legislative mandate and years of experience, the mission of the VCCER involves five primary functions: • Research in interdisciplinary energy and coal-related issues of interest to the Commonwealth • Coordination of coal and energy research at Virginia Tech • Dissemination of coal and energy research information and data to users in the Commonwealth • Examination of socio-economic implications related to energy and coal development and associated environmental impacts • Assistance to the Commonwealth of Virginia in implementing the Commonwealth's energy plan Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research (MC 0411) Randolph Hall, Room 133 460 Old Turner Street Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 Phone: 540-231-5038 Fax: 540-231-4078 Report Authors The primary author for this report is William Reynolds, Jr., Professor, Department of Mate- rials Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech; contributing author is Michael Karmis, Stonie Barker Professor, Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering & Director, Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research (VCCER), Virginia Tech.
    [Show full text]