Search Results (11)

Semitransparent perovskite solar cells (PSCs) that possess a high-power conversion efficiency (PCE) and high average visible light transmittance (AVT) can be employed in applications such as photovoltaic windows. In this study, a bifacial modification comprising a buried layer of [4-(3,6-Dimethyl-9H-carbazol-9-yl) butyl] phosphonic acid (Me-4PACz) and a surface passivator of 2-(2-Thienyl) ethylamine hydroiodide (2-TEAI) was proposed to enhance device performance. When the concentrations of Me-4PACz and 2-TEAI were 0.3 mg/mL and 3 mg/mL, opaque PSCs with a 1.57 eV perovskite absorber achieved a PCE of 22.62% (with a V_OC of 1.18 V) and retained 88% of their original value after being stored in air for 1000 h. By substituting a metal electrode with an indium zinc oxide electrode, the resulting semitransparent PSCs showed a PCE of over 20% and an AVT of 9.45%. It was, therefore, suggested that the synergistic effect of Me-4PACz and 2-TEAI improved the crystal quality of perovskites and the carrier transport in devices. When employing an absorber with a wider bandgap (1.67 eV), the corresponding PSC obtained a higher AVT of 20.71% and maintained a PCE of 18.73%; these values show that a superior overall performance is observed compared to that in similar studies. This work is conductive to the future application of semitransparent PSCs. Full article

Conventionally accessible silicon solar cells experience two major drawbacks, such as reduced efficiency and increased fabrication costs. The prospects for the reduction in the cost of the photovoltaic form of energy conversion are bifacial solar cells. Bifacial solar cells show potential opportunity in reducing the cost of solar energy conversion when analyzed with respect to monofacial cells. The bifacial solar cells exploit sunlight occurrence on both sides of the cell more efficiently. Bifacial-based solar photovoltaic (PV) is a technology that increases the generation of electrical energy per square meter of PV module through the utilization of light absorption from the albedo. This technology can generally be categorized based on the type of solar cell material and the fabrication technique. PV devices are classified as a silicon-based, thin film, organic, and advanced nano PV. This paper takes a second look at some recent initiatives and significant issues in enhancing the efficiency of bifacial solar cells from material sciences and chemical composition aspects. From this review, it is concluded that screen-printed solar cells have produced a maximum efficiency of 22%. Additionally, triode structure single-crystalline cells produced a maximum front side efficiency of 21.3% and rear side efficiency of 19.8%. Considering the recycling of solar panels, organic solar panels can be developed. Full article

Often, solar power parks are built in remote areas where the provider’s internet connection using the GSM network is insufficient. In addition, in order to monitor the parameters of each solar module, a very dense arrangement of IoT components would be required, as a result of which the speed of the external network would not be sufficient. In solving this problem, a hybrid data transmission network (there are no universal hybrid network concepts proposed in the literature for monitoring the operating parameters of a solar power park) was designed and tested for the monitoring system of the working parameters (voltage, current, etc.) of the solar power plant. This network consists of RF modules, RS458 modules communicating with a twisted pair cable, a GSM module, etc. PIC series microcontrollers with original programming code written in the C language were used to ensure the operation of the monitoring system and the hybrid data network. The data of the operating parameters of the solar power plant are stored centrally on a server, in a MySQL database. The central server has the ability to display data not only on the graphical output device, but also to transmit it to mobile devices using the Android operating system. During the testing of this network, observations of the working parameters of the 870 W solar power plant were made. Observations lead to the conclusion that such a network can be fully used in solar power parks as an alternative to the GSM network. Analyzing the data, it was found that the efficiency of bifacial type batteries is about 15–20% higher than that of traditional, silicon-based solar batteries. The voltammetric characteristics of a bifacial type battery, a new silicon battery and a 10-year-old battery basically match, which means that the silicon active material of all types of batteries has a similar alloying degree and the same internal resistance. Full article

In Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) solar cells, it is crucial to suppress the generation of and remove the SnS₂ secondary phase to improve the solar cell characteristics, as the SnS₂ secondary phase affects the barrier for carrier collection and diode characteristics of the device. In this study, the nano-metallic precursor was modified to effectively suppress the generation of the SnS₂ secondary phase on the surface and simultaneously improve the uniformity and quality of the thin film. The CZTS bifacial solar cells prepared via the proposed method exhibited significantly improved junction-rectifying characteristics, as the efficiency was improved to 1.59%. The proposed method to figurremove SnS₂ is effective, simple, and environmentally friendly. Full article

In the Atacama Desert, the spectral distribution of solar radiation differs from the global standard, showing very high levels of irradiation with a particularly high ultraviolet content. Additionally, the response of photovoltaic (PV) technologies is spectrally dependent, so it is necessary to consider local conditions and type of technology to optimize PV devices since solar cells are usually designed for maximum performance under standard testing conditions (STC). In this work, we determined geometrical and doping parameters to optimize the power of an n-type bifacial passivated emitter and rear totally diffused solar cell (n-PERT). Six parameters (the thicknesses of cell, emitter, and back surface field, as well as doping concentration of emitter, base, and back surface field) were used to optimize the cell under the Atacama Desert spectrum (AM 1.08) and under standard conditions (AM 1.5) through a genetic algorithm. To validate the model, the calculated performance of the n-PERT cell was compared with experimental measurements. Computed and experimental efficiencies showed a relative difference below 1% under STC conditions. Through the optimization process, we found that different geometry and doping concentrations are necessary for cells to be used in the Atacama Desert. Reducing the thickness of all layers and increasing doping can lead to a relative increment of 5.4% in the cell efficiency under AM 1.08. Finally, we show the potential effect of metallization and the viability of reducing the thicknesses of the emitter and the back surface field. Full article

An investigation on the photoelectrochemical and sensitizing properties of two different hybrid organic dyes, anchored as sensitizers on mesoporous TiO_2, in Grätzel solar cells, is presented. Firstly, we studied the absorption properties of the C106 sensitizer, a Ru polypyridine complex, and of the Y123, an organic push and pull dye. In this work, we characterized these two dyes, employing two different electrolytes, with similar experimental condition and device parameters. From the J–V curves and IPCE photo action spectra, we performed an inedited bifacial study based on the comparison of their photovoltaic performances, exploiting several backgrounds (black or white). Among the obtained results from this study, we found the best bifaciality factor of 93% for C106 and the best power conversion efficiency of 12.8% for Y123. These results represent, concerning these two dyes and to the best of our knowledge, some of the highest values in literature. Full article

An evaluation of the degradation effects on photovoltaic modules is essential to minimise uncertainties in the system operation. Bifacial photovoltaic technology is attracting attention due to the capacity of generating energy from the front and rear sides. This paper presents a review of degradation factors, for both conventional monofacial and bifacial photovoltaic modules, to highlight how the current and voltage characteristics of these technologies are affected by degradation. Microcracking, encapsulant discoloration, and light induced degradation seem to have similar effects on both modules. Contrarily, bifacial modules are more prone to potential induced degradation as the electromagnetic shielding is affected by the bifaciality. Bifacial devices are less affected by light and elevated temperature induced degradation. The degradation (1.3%) is similar for both technologies, up to 40 kWh/m${}^2$ of solar radiation. Above this value, monofacial degradation increases faster, reaching values of 7%. For tilted systems, the front side soiling degradation of 0.30% per day is similar for both technologies. For vertical systems, soiling loss for bifacial is considerably lower with values of 0.02% per day. Full article

Agrivoltaic (agriculture–photovoltaic) or solar sharing has gained growing recognition as a promising means of integrating agriculture and solar-energy harvesting. Although this field offers great potential, data on the impact on crop growth and development are insufficient. As such, this study examines the impact of agriculture–photovoltaic farming on crops using energy information and communications technology (ICT). The researched crops were grapes, cultivated land was divided into six sections, photovoltaic panels were installed in three test areas, and not installed in the other three. A 1300 × 520 mm photovoltaic module was installed on a screen that was designed with a shading rate of 30%. In addition, to collect farming-cultivation-environment data and to analyze power generation, sensors for growing environments and wireless-communication devices were used. As a result, normal modules generated 25.2 MWh, bifacial modules generated 21.6 MWh, and transparent modules generated 25.7 MWh over a five-month period. We could not find a difference in grape growth according to the difference of each module. However, a slight slowing of grape growth was found in the experiment group compared to the control group. Nevertheless, the sugar content of the test area of the grape fruit in the harvest season was 17.6 Brix on average, and the sugar content of the control area was measured at 17.2 Brix. Grape sugar-content level was shown to be at almost the same level as that in the control group by delaying the harvest time by about 10 days. In conclusion, this study shows that it is possible to produce renewable energy without any meaningful negative impact on normal grape farming. Full article

The bifacial photovoltaic (PV) systems have recently met large interest. The performance of such systems heavily depends on the installation conditions and, in particular, on the albedo radiation collected by the module rear side. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to have an accurate performance model. To date, in the scientific literature, numerous models have been proposed and experimental data collected to study and optimize bifacial PV system performance. Currently, 3D and 2D models of bifacial PV devices exist. Though the former are more mathematically complex, they can lead to more accurate results, since they generally allow to fully consider the main aspects influencing a bifacial PV system performance. Recently, we have proposed and validated through experimental data a 3D model tested as a function of module height, tilt angle, and ground albedo. In this work, through such a model, we studied the role played by the perimeter zones surrounding the PV string, by considering PV strings of 30 or 60 modules. We considered the cases of fixed installation with optimal PV module tilt and of installation with uniaxial horizontal solar tracker. We evaluated the PV energy yield as a function of the size of the perimeter zones for the two cases, i.e., both with and without the solar tracker. In optimal perimeter conditions, we then studied the behavior of bifacial and mono-facial PV strings by varying the geographical location in a large latitude range. Full article

In this study, a novel configuration for luminescent solar concentrator photovoltaic (LSC PV) devices is presented, with vertically placed bifacial PV solar cells made of mono-crystalline silicon (mono c-Si). This LSC PV device comprises multiple rectangular cuboid lightguides, made of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), containing Lumogen dyes, in particular, either Lumogen red 305 or orange 240. The bifacial solar cells are located in between these lightguide cubes and can, therefore, receive irradiance at both of their surfaces. The main aim of this study is to theoretically determine the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of five differently configured LSC PV devices. For this purpose, Monte Carlo ray tracing simulations were executed to analyze the irradiance at receiving PV cell surfaces, as well as the optical performance of these LSC PV devices. Five different LSC PV devices, with different geometries and varying dye concentrations, were modeled. To maximize the device efficiency, the bifacial cells were also attached to the back side of the lightguides. The ray tracing simulations resulted in a maximum efficiency of 16.9% under standard test conditions (STC) for a 15 × 15 cm² LSC PV device, consisting of nine rectangular cuboid 5 × 5 × 1 cm³ PMMA lightguides with 5 ppm orange 240 dye, with 12 vertically positioned 5 × 1 cm² bifacial cells in between the lightguides and nine 5 × 5 cm² PV cells attached to the back of the device. If the cells are not applied to the back of this LSC PV device configuration, the maximum PCE will be 2.9% (under STC), where the LSC PV device consists of 25 cubical 1 × 1 × 1 cm³ PMMA lightguides with 110 ppm red 305 dye and 40 vertically oriented bifacial PV cells of 1 × 1 cm² in between the lightguides. These results show the vast future potential for LSC PV technologies, with a higher performance and efficiency than the common threshold PCE for LSC PV devices of 10%. Full article

Tellurium-doped, mesoporous carbon nanomaterials with a relatively high doping level were prepared by a simple stabilization and carbonization method in the presence of a tellurium metalloid. A transparent counter electrode (CE) was prepared using tellurium-doped, mesoporous carbon (TeMC) materials, and was directly applied to bifacial, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). To improve the performance of the bifacial DSSC device, CEs should have outstanding electrocatalytic activity, electrical conductivity, and electrochemical stability, as well as high transparency. In this study, to make transparent electrodes with outstanding electrocatalytic activity and electrical conductivity, various TeMC materials with different carbonization temperatures were prepared by simple pyrolysis of the polyacrylonitrile-block-poly (n-butyl acrylate) (PAN-b-PBA) block copolymer in the presence of the tellurium metalloid. The electrocatalytic activity of the prepared TeMC materials were evaluated through a dummy cell test, and the material with the best catalytic ability was selected and optimized for application in bifacial DSSC devices by controlling the film thickness of the CE. As a result, the bifacial DSSC devices with the TeMC CE exhibited high power conversion efficiencies (PCE), i.e., 9.43% and 8.06% under front and rear side irradiation, respectively, which are the highest values reported for bifacial DSSCs to date. Based on these results, newly-developed transparent, carbon-based electrodes may lead to more stable and effective bifacial DSSC development without sacrificing the photovoltaic performance of the DSSC device. Full article