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Energies
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Solar Photovoltaics Trilemma: Efficiency, Stability and Cost Reduction 2018
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Solar Photovoltaics Trilemma: Efficiency, Stability and Cost Reduction 2018

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A2: Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 17301

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Tapas Mallick

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
Interests: renewable energy; concentrating solar photovoltaics; heat transfer, optics and electrical modeling; building integrated photovoltaics; static solar concentrators; integrated renewables (biomass, wind and solar integration); novel materials for solar electricity; solar electricity for sustainable building
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Senthilarasu Sundaram

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, Tees Valley, Middlesbrough TS1 3BX, UK
Interests: new materials for dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs); thin-film-based building integrated PV
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on very specific issues related to the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) systems, the stability of devices, and cost reductions at the module level. However, it is not limited to these; it also includes the most promising topics of emerging PV areas, such as perovskite solar cells (PSCs), dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and biomimicking for solar energy conversion. The new generation of solar cells with particular applications and their specific location studies are also important in terms of stability of devices in real or simulated conditions. The modelling aspects of PV materials and systems are also an area of focus. The following topics of research are also acceptable in this Special Issue:

  1. PV materials, stability, scaling up engineering and production
  2. Thin film solar cell materials and methods
  3. Perovskite thin film solar cell materials, methods, stability and cost reduction
  4. Third generation solar cell materials, methods and stability
  5. Concentrating PV
  6. Renewable energy system integration
  7. Biomimicking for Solar energy conversion
  8. PSCs and their scale up issues
  9. Smart switching materials

Prof. Tapas Mallick
Dr. Senthilarasu Sundaram
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • PV systems
  • PV materials and methods
  • PSCs
  • PV efficiency limiting
  • PV stability
  • PV cost reduction

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4110 KiB  
Article
Mass Production Test of Solar Cells and Modules Made of 100% UMG Silicon. 20.76% Record Efficiency
by Eduardo Forniés, Bruno Ceccaroli, Laura Méndez, Alejandro Souto, Antonio Pérez Vázquez, Timur Vlasenko and Joaquín Dieguez
Energies 2019, 12(8), 1495; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12081495 - 19 Apr 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4953
Abstract
For more than 15 years FerroAtlantica (now Ferroglobe) has been developing a method of silicon purification to obtain Upgraded Metallurgical Grade Silicon (UMG-Si) for PV solar application without blending. After many improvements and optimizations, the final process has clearly demonstrated its validity in [...] Read more.
For more than 15 years FerroAtlantica (now Ferroglobe) has been developing a method of silicon purification to obtain Upgraded Metallurgical Grade Silicon (UMG-Si) for PV solar application without blending. After many improvements and optimizations, the final process has clearly demonstrated its validity in terms of quality and costs. In this paper the authors present new results stemming from a first mass-production campaign and a detailed description of the purification process that results in the tested UMG-Si. The subsequent steps in the value chain for the wafer, cell and module manufacturing are also described. Two independent companies, among the Tier-1 solar cells producers, were selected for the industrial test, each using a different solar cell technology: Al-BSF and black silicon + PERC. Cells and modules were manufactured in conventional production lines and their performances compared to those obtained with standard polysilicon wafers produced in the same lines and periods. Thus, for Al-BSF technology, the average efficiency of solar cells obtained with UMG-Si was (18.4 ± 0.4)% compared to 18.49% obtained with polysilicon-made wafers. In the case of black silicon + PERC, the average efficiency obtained with UMG-Si was (20.1 ± 0.6)%, compared to 20.41% for polysilicon multicrystalline wafers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Photovoltaics Trilemma: Efficiency, Stability and Cost Reduction 2018)
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22 pages, 6817 KiB  
Article
A GIS-Based Method for Identification of Wide Area Rooftop Suitability for Minimum Size PV Systems Using LiDAR Data and Photogrammetry
by Diane Palmer, Elena Koumpli, Ian Cole, Ralph Gottschalg and Thomas Betts
Energies 2018, 11(12), 3506; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11123506 - 15 Dec 2018
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 7330
Abstract
Knowledge of roof geometry and physical features is essential for evaluation of the impact of multiple rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system installations on local electricity networks. The paper starts by listing current methods used and stating their strengths and weaknesses. No current method [...] Read more.
Knowledge of roof geometry and physical features is essential for evaluation of the impact of multiple rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system installations on local electricity networks. The paper starts by listing current methods used and stating their strengths and weaknesses. No current method is capable of delivering accurate results with publicly available input data. Hence a different approach is developed, based on slope and aspect using aircraft-based Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, building footprint data, GIS (Geographical Information Systems) tools, and aerial photographs. It assesses each roof’s suitability for PV deployment. That is, the characteristics of each roof are examined for fitting of at least a minimum size solar power system. In this way the minimum potential solar yield for region or city may be obtained. Accuracy is determined by ground-truthing against a database of 886 household systems. This is the largest validation of a rooftop assessment method to date. The method is flexible with few prior assumptions. It can generate data for various PV scenarios and future analyses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Photovoltaics Trilemma: Efficiency, Stability and Cost Reduction 2018)
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Graphical abstract

10 pages, 4353 KiB  
Article
Efficient Planar Hybrid n-Si/PEDOT:PSS Solar Cells with Power Conversion Efficiency up to 13.31% Achieved by Controlling the SiOx Interlayer
by Chenxu Zhang, Yuming Zhang, Hui Guo, Qubo Jiang, Peng Dong and Chunfu Zhang
Energies 2018, 11(6), 1397; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11061397 - 30 May 2018
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4028
Abstract
In this work, the effects of the SiOx interface layer grown by exposure in air on the performance of planar hybrid n-Si/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) solar cells are investigated. Compared to the cell with a hydrogen-terminated Si surface, the cell with an oxygen-terminated Si [...] Read more.
In this work, the effects of the SiOx interface layer grown by exposure in air on the performance of planar hybrid n-Si/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) solar cells are investigated. Compared to the cell with a hydrogen-terminated Si surface, the cell with an oxygen-terminated Si surface reveals improved characteristics in power conversion efficiency, increased from 10.44% to 13.31%. By introducing the SiOx, the wettability of the Si surface can be improved, allowing an effective spread of the PEDOT:PSS solution and thus a good contact between the PEDOT:PSS film and Si. More importantly, it can change the polarity of the Si surface from a negative dipole to a positive dipole, owing to the introduction of the SiOx interface. The Si energy band will bend up and give rise to a favorable band alignment between Si and PEDOT:PSS to promote carrier separation. These results could be potentially employed to further development of this simple, low-cost heterojunction solar cell. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Photovoltaics Trilemma: Efficiency, Stability and Cost Reduction 2018)
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