A HISTORY of the SOLAR CELL, in PATENTS Karthik Kumar, Ph.D
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The Invention of the Transistor
The invention of the transistor Michael Riordan Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064 Lillian Hoddeson Department of History, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 Conyers Herring Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 [S0034-6861(99)00302-5] Arguably the most important invention of the past standing of solid-state physics. We conclude with an century, the transistor is often cited as the exemplar of analysis of the impact of this breakthrough upon the how scientific research can lead to useful commercial discipline itself. products. Emerging in 1947 from a Bell Telephone Laboratories program of basic research on the physics I. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS of solids, it began to replace vacuum tubes in the 1950s and eventually spawned the integrated circuit and The quantum theory of solids was fairly well estab- microprocessor—the heart of a semiconductor industry lished by the mid-1930s, when semiconductors began to now generating annual sales of more than $150 billion. be of interest to industrial scientists seeking solid-state These solid-state electronic devices are what have put alternatives to vacuum-tube amplifiers and electrome- computers in our laps and on desktops and permitted chanical relays. Based on the work of Felix Bloch, Ru- them to communicate with each other over telephone dolf Peierls, and Alan Wilson, there was an established networks around the globe. The transistor has aptly understanding of the band structure of electron energies been called the ‘‘nerve cell’’ of the Information Age. in ideal crystals (Hoddeson, Baym, and Eckert, 1987; Actually the history of this invention is far more in- Hoddeson et al., 1992). -
Solar Cells from Selenium to Sihcon: Powering the Future. Part 2 by C M Meyer, Technical Journalist
GENERATION Solar cells from selenium to sihcon: Powering the future. Part 2 by C M Meyer, technical journalist An amazingly simple device, capable of performing efficiently nearly all the functions of an ordinary vacuum tube, was demonstrated for the first time yesterday at Bell Telephone Laboratories where it was invented. Known as the transistor, the device works on an entirely new physical principle discovered by the laboratories in the course of fundamental research into the electrical properties of solids.” Press release from Bell Telephone Laboratories announcing the first transistor, 1 July 1948 (Ref.6). The very first photoelectric cell was a pretty crude device. It was basically a large, thin layer of selenium that had been spread onto a copper metal plate, and covered with a thin, semitransparent gold-leaf film. Even by February 1953, the efficiency of such selenium cells was not very high: only a little less than 0,5%. Small wonder then that a more efficient substitute was needed. So it is hardly surprising that scientists working for Bell Telephone Laboratory, many on commercialising the newly discovered transistor, were aware of this need. One of them, Daryl Chapin, had begun work on the problem of providing small amounts of intermittent power in remote humid locations. His research originally had nothing to do with solar power, and involved wind machines, thermoelectric generators and small steam engines. At his suggestion, solar power was included in his research, almost as an afterthought. After obtaining disappointing results with a The first attempt to launch a satellite with the Vanguard rocket on 6 December 1957. -
High Energy Yield Bifacial-IBC Solar Cells Enabled by Poly-Siox Carrier Selective Passivating Contacts
High energy yield Bifacial-IBC solar cells enabled by poly-SiOx carrier selective passivating contacts Zakaria Asalieh TU Delft i High energy yield Bifacial-IBC solar cells enabled by poly-SiOX carrier selective passivating contacts By Zakaria Asalieh in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the Delft University of Technology, to be defended publicly on Thursday April 1, 2021 at 15:00 Supervisor: Asso. Prof. dr. Olindo Isabella Dr. Guangtao Yang Thesis committee: Assoc. Prof. dr. Olindo Isabella, TU Delft (ESE-PVMD) Prof. dr. Miro Zeman, TU Delft (ESE-PVMD) Dr. Massimo Mastrangeli, TU Delft (ECTM) Dr. Guangtao Yang, TU Delft (ESE,PVMD) ii iii Conference Abstract Evaluation and demonstration of bifacial-IBC solar cells featuring poly-Si alloy passivating contacts- Guangtao Yang, Zakaria Asalieh, Paul Procel, YiFeng Zhao, Can Han, Luana Mazzarella, Miro Zeman, Olindo Isabella – EUPVSEC 2021 iv v Acknowledgement First, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr Olindo Isabella for giving me the opportunity to work with his group. He is one of the main reasons why I chose to do my master thesis in the PVMD group. After finishing my internship on solar cells, he recommended me to join the thesis projects event where I decided to work on this interesting thesis topic. I cannot forget his support when my family and I had the Covid-19 virus. Second, I'd like to thank my daily supervisor Dr Guangtao Yang, despite supervising multiple MSc students, was able to provide me with all of the necessary guidance during this work. -
Letting in the Light: How Solar Photovoltaics Will Revolutionise The
LETTING IN THE LIGHT HOW SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAICS WILL REVOLUTIONISE THE ELECTRICITY SYSTEM Copyright © IRENA 2016 ISBN 978-92-95111-95-0 (Print), ISBN 978-92-95111-96-7 (PDF) Unless otherwise stated, this publication and material herein are the property of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and are subject to copyright by IRENA. Material in this publication may be freely used, shared, copied, reproduced, printed and/or stored, provided that all such material is clearly attributed to IRENA and bears a notation of copyright (© IRENA) with the year of copyright. Material contained in this publication attributed to third parties may be subject to third-party copyright and separate terms of use and restrictions, including restrictions in relation to any commercial use. This publication should be cited as: IRENA (2016), ‘Letting in the Light: How solar PV will revolutionise the electricity system,’ Abu Dhabi. About IRENA The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future and serves as the principal platform for international co-operation, a centre of excellence, and a repository of policy, technology, resource and financial knowledge on renewable energy. IRENA promotes the widespread adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy, in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon economic growth and prosperity. www.irena.org Acknowledgements IRENA is grateful for the valuable contributions of Mark Turner in the preparation of this study. This report benefited from the reviews and comments of numerous experts, including Morgan Bazilian (World Bank), John Smirnow (Global Solar Council), Tomas Kåberger (Renewable Energy Institute), Paddy Padmanathan (ACWA Power), Linus Mofor (UNECA), DK Khare (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India), Maurice Silva (Ministry of Energy, Chile), Eicke Weber (Fraunhofer ISE). -
UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Fabrication And
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Fabrication and Characterization of Organic/Inorganic Photovoltaic Devices A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering by Ali Bilge Guvenc March 2012 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Mihrimah Ozkan, Chairperson Dr. Cengiz S. Ozkan Dr. Kambiz Vafai Copyright by Ali Bilge Guvenc 2012 The Dissertation of Ali Bilge Guvenc is approved: ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside To my beloved wife and daughters iv ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Fabrication and Characterization of Organic/Inorganic Photovoltaic Devices by Ali Bilge Guvenc Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering University of California, Riverside, March 2012 Prof. Mihrimah Ozkan, Chairperson Energy is central to achieving the goals of sustainable development and will continue to be a primary engine for economic development. In fact, access to and consumption of energy is highly effective on the quality of life. The consumption of all energy sources have been increasing and the projections show that this will continue in the future. Unfortunately, conventional energy sources are limited and they are about to run out. Solar energy is one of the major alternative energy sources to meet the increasing demand. Photovoltaic devices are one way to harvest energy from sun and as a branch of photovoltaic devices organic bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices have recently drawn tremendous attention because of their technological advantages for actualization of large-area and cost effective fabrication. The research in this dissertation focuses on both the mathematical modelling for better and more efficient characterization and the improvement of device power conversion efficiency. -
Optimization of Thin-Film Solar Cells for Lunar Surface Operations
Optimization of Thin-Film Solar Cells for Lunar Surface Operations Shawn Breeding∗ and William E. Johnson† NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, AL, 35812 Thin-film solar cells have been in production for decades, but technology has only recently advanced enough to allow for comparable efficiencies to traditional rigid cells. Some of the benefits of thin-films, such as lighter weight and being foldable, are particularly advantageous to space applications since mass and volume are key considerations of any flight project. Using these thin-film cells in space, however, is outside of their ground-based design criteria. This requires special care to be taken in designing the power generation system of a spacecraft around a thin-film solar cell, particularly in regards to thermal management. Without the diffusion of an atmosphere to mitigate solar load, the temperature of the panels can rapidly exceed their design specification. In this paper a design solution is presented that allows for thin-film solar cells to be used in a robotic lunar lander. Due to the low thermal mass and in-plane conductivity of thin films, it is difficult to remove waste heat by any other method than radiation. On the lunar surface this means angling the arrays to increase their view factor to space, which has the negative consequence of decreasing their power generation. An optimization was developed to balance the heat rejection and power generation of the cells, using constraints on the maximum cell temperature and minimum spacecraft power requirements. The resulting solar panel angle was then used as an input to the Thermal Desktop model to verify the final panel temperatures. -
Maximum Power Point
Photovoltaic Efficiency: Maximum Power Point Fundamentals Article This article presents the concept of electricity through Ohm’s law and the power equation, and how it applies to solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. You’ll learn how to find the maximum power point (MPP) of a PV panel in order to optimize its efficiency at creating solar power. Real-World Applications PV panels are becoming an increasingly common way to generate power around the world for many different power applications. This technology is still expensive when compared to other sources of power so it is important to optimize the efficiency of PV panels. This can be a challenge because as weather conditions change (even cloud cover, see Figure 1), the voltage and current in the circuit changes. Engineers have designed inverters to vary the resistance and continuously find new maximum power point (MPP) in a circuit; this is called maximum power point tracking (MPPT). An inverter can be hooked up to one or many PV panels at a time. It is up to engineers to decide the right balance of cost and efficiency when including inverters in their designs. By understanding the factors that affect electrical circuits and knowing how to control the elements in circuits, engineers are able to design solar power systems that operate as efficiently as possible in different environments with changing weather conditions. Figure 1. Cloud shadow dilemma. Introduction Solar energy technology is an emerging energy field that provides opportunities for talented and bright engineers to make beneficial impacts on the environment while solving intriguing engineering challenges. K-12 However, before attempting to design solar energy power systems, engineers must understand for fundamental electrical laws and equations and how they apply to solar energy applications. -
Demonstrating Solar Conversion Using Natural Dye Sensitizers
Demonstrating Solar Conversion Using Natural Dye Sensitizers Subject Area(s) Science & Technology, Physical Science, Environmental Science, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry Associated Unit Renewable Energy Lesson Title Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) Grade Level (11th-12th) Time Required 3 hours / 3 day lab Summary Students will analyze the use of solar energy, explore future trends in solar, and demonstrate electron transfer by constructing a dye-sensitized solar cell using vegetable and fruit products. Students will analyze how energy is measured and test power output from their solar cells. Engineering Connection and Tennessee Careers An important aspect of building solar technology is the study of the type of materials that conduct electricity and understanding the reason why they conduct electricity. Within the TN-SCORE program Chemical Engineers, Biologist, Physicist, and Chemists are working together to provide innovative ways for sustainable improvements in solar energy technologies. The lab for this lesson is designed so that students apply their scientific discoveries in solar design. Students will explore how designing efficient and cost effective solar panels and fuel cells will respond to the social, political, and economic needs of society today. Teachers can use the Metropolitan Policy Program Guide “Sizing The Clean Economy: State of Tennessee” for information on Clean Economy Job Growth, TN Clean Economy Profile, and Clean Economy Employers. www.brookings.edu/metro/clean_economy.aspx Keywords Photosynthesis, power, electricity, renewable energy, solar cells, photovoltaic (PV), chlorophyll, dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) Page 1 of 10 Next Generation Science Standards HS.ESS-Climate Change and Human Sustainability HS.PS-Chemical Reactions, Energy, Forces and Energy, and Nuclear Processes HS.ETS-Engineering Design HS.ETS-ETSS- Links Among Engineering, Technology, Science, and Society Pre-Requisite Knowledge Vocabulary: Catalyst- A substance that increases the rate of reaction without being consumed in the reaction. -
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 ........................................................................... -
Thermal Performance of Dwellings with Rooftop PV Panels and PV/Thermal Collectors
energies Article Thermal Performance of Dwellings with Rooftop PV Panels and PV/Thermal Collectors Saad Odeh Senior Program Convenor, Sydney Institute of Business and Technology, Sydney City Campus, Western Sydney University, NSW 2000, Australia; [email protected] or [email protected]; Tel.: +61-2-8236-8075 Received: 22 June 2018; Accepted: 17 July 2018; Published: 19 July 2018 Abstract: To improve the energy efficiency of dwellings, rooftop photovoltaic (PV) technology is proposed in contemporary designs; however, adopting this technology will add a new component to the roof that may affect its thermal balance. This paper studies the effect of roof shading developed by solar PV panels on dwellings’ thermal performance. The analysis in this work is performed by using two types of software packages: “AccuRate Sustainability” for rating the energy efficiency of a residential building design, and “PVSYST” for the solar PV power system design. AccuRate Sustainability is used to calculate the annual heating and cooling load, and PVSYST is used to evaluate the power production from the rooftop PV system. The analysis correlates the electrical energy generated from the PV panels to the change in the heating and cooling load due to roof shading. Different roof orientations, roof inclinations, and roof insulation, as well as PV dwelling floor areas, are considered in this study. The analysis shows that the drop in energy efficiency due to the shaded area of the roof by PV panels is very small compared to the energy generated by these panels. The analysis also shows that, with an increasing number of floors in the dwelling, the effect of shading by PV panels on thermal performance becomes negligible. -
Q2/Q3 2020 Solar Industry Update
Q2/Q3 2020 Solar Industry Update David Feldman Robert Margolis December 8, 2020 NREL/PR-6A20-78625 Executive Summary Global Solar Deployment PV System and Component Pricing • The median estimate of 2020 global PV system deployment projects an • The median residential quote from EnergySage in H1 2020 fell 2.4%, y/y 8% y/y increase to approximately 132 GWDC. to $2.85/W—a slower rate of decline than observed in any previous 12- month period. U.S. PV Deployment • Even with supply-chain disruptions, BNEF reported global mono c-Si • Despite the impact of the pandemic on the overall economy, the United module pricing around $0.20/W and multi c-Si module pricing around States installed 9.0 GWAC (11.1 GWDC) of PV in the first 9 months of $0.17/W. 2020—its largest first 9-month total ever. • In Q2 2020, U.S. mono c-Si module prices fell, dropping to their lowest • At the end of September, there were 67.9 GWAC (87.1 GWDC) of solar PV recorded level, but they were still trading at a 77% premium over global systems in the United States. ASP. • Based on EIA data through September 2020, 49.4 GWAC of new electric Global Manufacturing generating capacity are planned to come online in 2020, 80% of which will be wind and solar; a significant portion is expected to come in Q4. • Despite tariffs, PV modules and cells are being imported into the United States at historically high levels—20.6 GWDC of PV modules and 1.7 • EIA estimates solar will install 17 GWAC in 2020 and 2021, with GWDC of PV cells in the first 9 months of 2020. -
Fabrication Procedure of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Fabrication procedure of dye-sensitized solar cells K.Takechi, R.Muszynski and P.V.Kamat Materials - ITO(Indium doped Tin Oxide) glass (2 x 2 cm, 2 slides for 1 cell) - Dye (Eosin Y, Eosin B, etc.) - Ethanol - TiO2 paste ¾ Suspend 3.5g of TiO2 nano-powder P25 in 15ml of ethanol. ¾ Sonicate it at least for 30 min. ¾ Add 0.5ml of titanium(IV) tetraisopropoxide into the suspension. ¾ Mix until the suspension is uniform. (D.S. Zhang, T. Yoshida, T. Oekermann, K. Furuta, H. Minoura, Adv. Functional Mater., 16, 1228(2006).) - Spacer ¾ Cut a plastic film (like as Parafilm or Scotch tape) having dimensions of 1.5 cm by 2 cm. ¾ Make a hole(s) on the film. 2 cm (Example) 1 cm 1.5 cm Hole 0.6 cm - Liquid electrolyte ¾ 0.5M lithium iodide and 0.05M iodine in acetonitrile. γ-Butyrolactone or 3-methoxypropionitrile is also recommended as a solvent to improve its volatility. - Binder clips (small, 2 pieces for 1 cell) Tools - Hot plate - Pipets - Tweezers - Spatulas - Scotch tape 1. Put Scotch tape on the conducting side of ITO glass. about 10 mm 2. Put TiO2 paste and flatten it with a razor blade on the same side of the ITO glass. 3. Put this electrode on top of a hot plate and heat it at approximately 150 °C for 10 min. 4. Prepare a dye solution. (Ex. 20mL of 1 mM eosin Y in ethanol) Eosin Y Eosin B Eosin B in ethanol (Mw=691.85) (Mw=624.06) 5. Dip the TiO2 electrode into the dye solution for 10 min.