Progress in Photovoltaics最新文献

Agrivoltaics is the dual use of land by combining agricultural crop production and photovoltaic (PV) systems. In this work, we have analyzed three different agrivoltaic configurations: static with optimal tilt, vertically mounted bifacial, and single-axis horizontal tracking. A model is developed to calculate the shadowing losses on the PV panels along with the reduced solar irradiation reaching the area under them for different PV capacity densities. First, we investigate the trade-offs using a location in Denmark as a case study and second, we extrapolate the analysis to the rest of Europe. We find that the vertical and single-axis tracking produce more uniform irradiance on the ground, and a capacity density of around 30 W/m² is suitable for agrivoltaic systems. Based on our model and a 100-m-resolution land cover database, we calculate the potential for agrivoltaic in every region within the European Union. The potential for agrivoltaic is enormous as the electricity generated by agrivoltaic systems could produce 25 times the current electricity demand in Europe. Overall, the potential capacity for agrivoltaic in Europe is 51 TW, which would result in an electricity yield of 71,500 TWh/year.

Consolidated tables showing an extensive listing of the highest independently confirmed efficiencies for solar cells and modules are presented. Guidelines for inclusion of results into these tables are outlined, and new entries since January 2023 are reviewed.

Floating solar photovoltaics (FPV), whether placed on freshwater bodies such as lakes or on the open seas, are an attractive solution for the deployment of photovoltaic (PV) panels that avoid competition for land with other uses, including other forms of renewable energy generation. While the vast majority of FPV deployments have been on freshwater bodies, in this paper, we chose to focus on offshore FPV, a mode of deployment that may be particularly attractive to nations where the landmass is constricted, such as is the case in small islands. There is a wide perception that seawater cooling is the main reason for the enhanced performance of offshore FPV panels. In this paper, a worldwide assessment is made to validate this perception. To this end, a technology-specific heat transfer model is used to calculate PV system performance for a data set of 20 locations consisting of one system located on land and another one offshore. The analysis assumes that the floating offshore panels are placed on metal pontoons and that all panels are based on monocrystalline silicon technology. Our analysis shows that the energy yield difference, between land-based and offshore systems, for the time period of 2008 and 2018, varies between 20% and −4% showing that offshore FPV yield advantages are site-specific. In addition, the effect of other environmental factors, namely, irradiation level difference, ambient temperature, wind speed, precipitation, and sea surface temperature, is studied in this paper, which leads to the formulation of two different regression models. These can be used as a first step in predicting yield advantages for other locations.

Potential induced degradation (PID) is a reliability issue affecting photovoltaic (PV) modules, mainly when PV strings operate under high voltages in hot/humid conditions. Polarization-type PID (PID-p) has been known to decrease module performance quickly. PID-p can be reduced or recovered under the light in some cases, but this effect, as expected, would be less pronounced on the rear side of bifacial PV modules receiving lower irradiance. As bifacial PV modules are projected to dominate the PV market within the next 10 years, it is crucial to understand the PID-p issue in bifacial modules better. In this study, we performed indoor PID testing to induce PID-p on 14 commercial bifacial p-PERC modules with three different module constructions from three manufacturers. Four rounds (+ve and −ve polarities for front and rear sides) of PID testing are done at 25°C, 54% relative humidity (RH) for 168 h using the aluminum foil method. Each module side (front cell side and back cell side) is tested individually under both negative and positive voltage bias. The results show that the highest degradation of 32% in maximum power (Pmax) at standard test conditions (1000 W/m²) and 51% at low irradiance (200 W/m²) has been observed in some cases. Recovery under sunlight is also done, and outcomes show a near-complete recovery in Pmax. This study presents an extensive experimental methodology and a detailed analysis to systematically and simultaneously/sequentially evaluate multiple construction types of bifacial modules to the PID-p susceptibility and recovery.

For decades, photovoltaic (PV) module yellowing caused by UV exposure has been observed on solar arrays in operation. More than an aesthetic inconvenience, this phenomenon can severely impair module performance and promote other degradation mechanisms by undermining the photoprotection provided by encapsulation. To understand how this reaction may affect current encapsulation materials, silicon heterojunction (SHJ) monocell modules with either UV-cut or UV-transparent commercial encapsulants were aged under UV irradiation and examined by visual inspection, fluorescence imaging and flash tests. Despite the photoprotection they provide, only the encapsulants that were stabilised by UV absorbers underwent discolouration. On the one hand, UV absorber photodegradation is responsible for the formation of yellow chromophores that affect light transmission to the cell, which could cause net decrease in the photogenerated current high as 4% after 4200 h of accelerated UV ageing. On the other hand, UV-induced degradation of SHJ solar cells only accounts for a lower photogenerated current loss (3%), in contrast with previous observations in the literature. According to the behaviour of the current encapsulation formulation, the stability of UV absorbing additives has to be improved to ensure the durability of the device over 30 years.

In pursuit of a renewable, inexpensive, sustainable, and compact energy source to replace fossil fuels, solar photovoltaic devices have become an ideal alternative to meet human needs for environmentally friendly, affordable, and portable power sources. It is due to their excellent mechanical robustness and outstanding energy conversion efficiency. Concerning the increasing demand for flexible and wearable electronic devices with standalone power sources, much attention has been paid to photovoltaics' flexibility and lightweight developments. Along with high mechanical flexibility and lightweight, flexible photovoltaic devices have the advantages of conformability, bendability, wearability, moldability, and roll-to-roll processing into complex shapes that can produce niche products. Emerging solar cells, among other photovoltaic technologies, have been exalted for their high conversion efficiency, low cost, and ease of production, making them a viable new-generation photovoltaic technology. The main commercialization choice for cutting-edge solar cells is flexible dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells since they can be made using a roll-to-roll printing technique and are appropriate for mass manufacturing. More significantly, flexible evolving solar cells may be created on ultrathin and light substrates to fulfill the demands of the developing flexible electronics industry and discover uses that are not possible with traditional photovoltaic technology. In any flexible device, the substrate is a backbone on which further materials rely. A flexible substrate reduces the installation and transportation charges, thereby reducing the system price and increasing power conversion efficiency. In this review, we comprehensively assess relevant materials suitable for making flexible photovoltaic devices. Several flexible substrate materials, including ultra-thin glass, metal foils, and various types of polymer materials, have been considered. For conducting materials, transparent conducting oxides, metal nanowires/grids, carbon nanomaterials, and conducting polymers have also been comprehended. Progress on various flexible foils, fabrication and stability issues, current challenges, and solutions to those challenges of using conductive polymer substrate is endorsed and reviewed in detail. The originality of this holistic study lies in its ability to offer a thorough overview of recent advancements in flexible dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells on polymer substrates, which is conceivable and worthy as a roadmap for future research work.

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells show great potential for commercialization because of their high power conversion efficiency (PCE). The optical loss originated from the transparent electrode is still a challenge to further improve the PCE of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. Here, we developed zirconium-doped indium oxide (IZrO), a material with low resistivity and high transmittance sputtered at room temperature. It possesses a high mobility of 29.6 cm²/(V·s), a low resistivity of 3.32 × 10⁻⁴ Ω·cm, and a low sheet resistance of 25.55 Ω·sq⁻¹ as well as a high average transmittance of 81.55% in a broadband of 400–1200 nm. Moreover, the work function (W_F = 4.33 eV) matches well with the energy level of Ag electrode and SnO₂ buffer layer in the P-I-N type tandem device. Compared with the previous zinc-doped indium oxide (IZO) transparent electrode device, the absolute efficiency of perovskite/silicon tandem devices based on IZrO electrode is about 0.6% higher. The champion P-I-N type perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells employing IZrO as the front conducts show efficiency of 28.28% (area of 0.5036 cm²).

Recent technology development in space mission design has raised a demand for space solar cells with a higher level of radiation tolerance as compared with state-of-the-art, commercially available products. Therefore, new material systems are being investigated. Recently, we highlighted the superior radiation tolerance of GaInAsP solar cells to 1 MeV electron irradiation as compared with standard GaAs solar cells. A high InP fraction within this semiconductor compound was found to foster the regeneration rate of electron-induced defects when the solar cells were annealed at 60°C under AM0 illumination, which are typical space-operating conditions. In light of considering this material system in future radiation-hard designs, the degradation of GaInAsP solar cells subjected to proton irradiation also needs to be investigated. Here, we report on the degradation and regeneration of GaInAsP solar cells lattice-matched to InP substrates after 1 MeV proton irradiation. A detailed description of the radiation damage is achieved by solar cell numerical modeling combined with deep-level transient spectroscopy analysis. The irradiation-induced defects are quantified, and their evolution during annealing is monitored. The results are compared with the degradation data of similar solar cells obtained after 1 MeV electron irradiation. A slower regeneration rate of the proton-induced defects is found in comparison with the electron-induced defects. This difference is ultimately attributed to a different topology of the radiation damage caused by proton irradiation.

IEC 60891 ed.3 published in 2021 has defined four standard I-V characteristics correction procedures numbered 1 through 4. The aim of this work is to evaluate these four I-V translation methods. The results show that correction procedure 1 (CP1) and 2 (CP2) work well over a broad range of irradiances and temperatures. However, CP1 requires I-V curves being measured adequately down to negative current regime at low-irradiance levels and CP2 is not so suitable for low shunt-resistance modules; both also require a set of correction parameters. Based on our performance analysis, a new method based on CP2 is introduced to improve the correction performance for low shunt-resistance modules; the mean bias error (MBE) value of maximum power (P_MAX) improved from −10.26% to −1.32%. Correction procedure 3 (CP3) employs a drastically different correction procedure as compared with the other CPs. This work shows that CP3 works well over a broad range of irradiances and temperatures, but significant distortion of the corrected I-V curves may occur when extrapolation is required. Correction procedure 4 (CP4) requires only a single I-V curve and shows generally good results in short-circuit current (I_SC) but worse agreement in open-circuit voltage (V_OC) and P_MAX.

Big sets of experimental data are key to assess statistical device performance and to distill underlying trends. This insight, in turn, can then be used to improve on the fabrication process. We here describe a standardized and optimized inline fabrication process and present a statistical analysis of tens of thousands of cells with chalcopyrite-type Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ absorber. The large number of samples allows us to point out where Ag alloying into the absorber offers improvements, and how it couples with compositional and optoelectronic properties. Solar cell parameters as a function of chemical composition of the absorber highlight the importance of fill factor on overall cell performance. Finally, we calculate losses in open-circuit voltage as a function of band gap energy and show that radiative losses can be reduced by increasing the amount of Cu and/or Ag.