Flexible Thin Film Solar Cells Using in the Car

In recent years, renewable energy technologies are being explored to meet the challenges of energy security and climate change. Solar energy is a clean and green renewable source of energy. It is an inevitable option to use photovoltaic effect to directly convert sunlight into electricity. CuIn1-xGaxSe2 (CIGS) thin films were formed from an electrodeposited CuInSe2 (CIS) precursor by thermal processing in vacuum in which the film stoichiometry was adjusted by adding In, Ga and Se. The structure, composition, morphology and opto-electronic properties of the as-deposited and selenized CIS precursors were characterized by various techniques. A 17.2% CIGS based thin film solar cell was developed using the electrodeposited and processed film. The cell structure consisted of Mo/CIGS/CdS/ZnO/MgF2. The cell parameters such as Jsc, Voc, FF and η were determined from I-V characterization of the cell. The solar electric vehicle is made using flexible thin film solar cells. With the solar cell the full charge endurance of SEV can be increased about 35% substantially compared with no solar cells.