Progress in Photovoltaics最新文献

Carrier-selective contact is a fundamental issue for solar cells. For silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells, it is important to improve hole transport because of the low doping efficiency of boron in amorphous silicon and the barrier stemming from valence band offset. Here, we develop a carbon dioxide (CO₂) plasma treatment (PT) process to form dipoles and defect states. We find a dipole moment caused by longitudinal distribution of H and O atoms. It improves hole transport and blocks electron transport and thus suppresses carrier recombination. In the meantime, the CO₂ PT process also results in defect states, which reduce passivation performance but improve hole hopping in the intrinsic amorphous layer. As a balance, an appropriate CO₂ PT process at the i/p interface increases fill factor and power conversion efficiency of SHJ solar cells. We emphasize, based on sufficient evidences, this work finds a distinct role of the CO₂ plasma in SHJ solar cells opposed to reported mechanisms.

With the increased deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV), the cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV market is expected to grow substantially. CdTe PV production is crucial for the clean energy transition but problematic because of the material availability challenges. CdTe PV relies on tellurium, a scarce metal mainly produced as a byproduct of copper. Several studies investigated the availability of tellurium for CdTe PV. However, previous models are static and do not reflect the interconnection between tellurium supply, demand, and price. Despite the efforts, previous studies have inconsistent results and do not provide a clear understanding on the availability of tellurium for CdTe PV applications. This study uses system dynamics modeling to assess tellurium availability between 2023 and 2050. The model considers different scenarios for CdTe PV demand growth and PV material intensity reduction. The model also considers tellurium supply variables such as Te-rich ores, tellurium yield from anode slimes, and growth in copper mining. The historical data (2000–2020) analysis shows a negative correlation between the tellurium price and the annual tellurium surplus. All the considered demand scenarios exhibit a tellurium supply gap where annual material production falls below demand. Tellurium availability and price could delay the growth of CdTe PV production, and maintaining the current CdTe PV market share of ~4% will be challenging. The low-demand scenario, which is based on a constant CdTe PV market share, results in a supply gap starting in 2029 and a supply gap peak of 508 metric tons in 2036. Our work shows that having more manufacturing capacity is insufficient if tellurium is unavailable. More importantly, this work shows that fast growth in CdTe PV production can diminish the advantages of dematerialization. The estimated cumulative CdTe PV production by 2050 ranges between 929 and 2250 GWp. The findings also suggest that recycling retired solar panels can contribute to 17% of the total tellurium demand and 34% of the CdTe PV tellurium demand. Sensitivity analysis shows that expanding existing Te-rich ores does not alleviate tellurium scarcity. Alternatively, improving tellurium yield from copper electrorefining is a more efficient mitigation approach. The system dynamic approach outlined in this study provides a better perspective on the status of various critical metal supply chains, ultimately leading to sustainable materials management and increasing CdTe production.

The large-scale deployment of photovoltaics (PVs) along highways has the potential for the generation of clean electricity without competing for land use or burdening the power grid since energy for electric vehicles (EVs) can be generated locally on wastelands along highways near service stations. An analysis was carried out to evaluate the feasibility of integrating vertical bifacial solar modules into noise barriers. The approach involved integrating geospatial data with PV potential data using geographic information systems (GIS) technology. The results show a potential of around 200 GWh/year if all current noise barriers along highways in the Netherlands are considered suitable for PV module integration. Three case studies have been analysed regarding specific service stations for specific road orientations. It is shown that solar energy can charge more than 300 vehicles per day by combining bifacial PV noise barriers and standard mono-facial PV modules on publicly available land along the highway in all three case studies, which is sufficient to meet 80% of the expected EV charging demand along highways in 2030.

Photovoltaics (PVs) on building facades, either building-integrated or building-attached, offer a large energy yield potential especially in densely populated urban areas. Targeting this potential requires the availability of planning tools such as insolation forecasts. However, calculating the PV potential of facade surfaces in an urban environment is challenging. Complex time-dependent shadowing and light reflections must be considered. In this contribution, we present fast ray tracing calculations for insolation forecasts in large urban environments using clustering of Sun positions into typical days. We use our approach to determine time resolved PV capacity factors for rooftops and facades in a wide variety of environments, which is particularly useful for energy system analyses. The advantage of our approach is that the determined capacity factors for one geographic location can be easily extended to larger geographic regions. In this contribution, we perform calculations in three exemplary environments and extend the results globally. Especially for facade surfaces, we find that there is a pronounced intra-day and also seasonal distribution of PV potentials that strongly depends on the degree of latitude. The consideration of light reflections in our ray tracing approach causes an increase in calculated full load hours for facade surfaces between 10% and 25% for most geographical locations.

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 July 2023 are reviewed.

In recent years, significant progress has been made in terms of efficiency and stability of perovskite on silicon (Pero/Si) tandem solar cells. Nevertheless, most of these activities are focused on small-area laboratory cells while the availability of large-area solar cells suitable for module integration on an industrial level remains limited, and therefore, measurements of tandem modules are rare. However, the reliable measurement of tandem modules is a prerequisite to evaluate the real potential of this rapidly developing technology for the photovoltaic market. In this study, we present the first published outdoor measurement of a full-size bifacial Pero/Si tandem solar cell module. Our focus is on analyzing the spectral influences on the outdoor performance of the device through a qualitative assessment of the modules I–V parameter conducted over the course of a measurement day. Based on continuous monitoring of the ambient and module conditions, we provide consistent explanations for the complex interplay between the incident irradiance on both the front and backside of the module, as well as the module temperature. Based on our findings, we finally discuss how to appropriately account for the influence of bifaciality in the case of bifacial tandem modules, where the procedures used for bifacial single-junction devices cannot be easily applied due to subcell limitation effects. Throughout the study, we present important insights into the real-world characteristics of a bifacial Pero/Si tandem model, discuss and explain various influences on the modules performance, and therefore provide crucial information for an optimal cell design for bifacial Pero/Si tandem devices.