Challenges for the future of tandem photovoltaics on the path to terawatt levels: A technology review

As the photovoltaic sector approaches 1 TW in cumulative installed capacity, we provide an overview of the current challenges to achieve further technological improvements. On the raw materials side, we see no fundamental limitation to expansion in capacity of the current market technologies, even though basic estimates predict that the PV sector will become the largest consumer of Ag in the world after 2030. On the other hand, recent market data on PV costs indicates that the largest cost fraction is now infrastructure and area-related, and nearly independent of the core cell technology. Therefore, additional value adding is likely to proceed via an increase in energy yield metrics such as the power density and/or efficiency of the PV module. However, current market technologies are near their fundamental detailed balance efficiency limits. The transition to multijunction PV in tandem configurations is regarded as the most promising path to surpass this limitation and increase the power per unit area of PV modules. So far, each specific multijunction concept faces particular obstacles that have prevented their upscaling, but the field is rapidly improving. In this review work, we provide a global comparison between the different types of multijunction concepts, including III-Vs, Si-based tandems and the emergence of perovskite/Si devices. Coupled with analyses of new notable developments in the field, we discuss the challenges common to different multijunction cell architectures, and the specific challenges of each type of device, both on a cell level and on a module integration level. From the analysis, we conclude that several tandem concepts are nearing the disruption level where a breakthrough into mainstream PV is possible.Comment: 50 pages, 24 Figure

Critical Metals in Strategic Energy Technologies - Assessing Rare Metals as Supply-Chain Bottlenecks in Low-Carbon Energy Technologies

Due to the rapid growth in demand for certain materials, compounded by political risks associated with the geographical concentration of the supply of them, a shortage of these materials could be a potential bottleneck to the deployment of low-carbon energy technologies. In order to assess whether such shortages could jeopardise the objectives of the EU’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan), an improved understanding of these risks is vital. In particular, this report examines the use of metals in the six low-carbon energy technologies of SET-Plan, namely: nuclear, solar, wind, bioenergy, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and electricity grids. The study looks at the average annual demand for each metal for the deployment of the technologies in Europe between 2020 and 2030. The demand of each metal is compared to the respective global production volume in 2010. This ratio (expressed as a percentage) allows comparing the relative stress that the deployment of the six technologies in Europe is expected to create on the global supplies for these different metals. The study identifies 14 metals for which the deployment of the six technologies will require 1% or more (and in some cases, much more) of current world supply per annum between 2020 and 2030. These 14 significant metals, in order of decreasing demand, are tellurium, indium, tin, hafnium, silver, dysprosium, gallium, neodymium, cadmium, nickel, molybdenum, vanadium, niobium and selenium. The metals are examined further in terms of the risks of meeting the anticipated demand by analysing in detail the likelihood of rapid future global demand growth, limitations to expanding supply in the short to medium term, and the concentration of supply and political risks associated with key suppliers. The report pinpoints 5 of the 14 metals to be at high risk, namely: the rare earth metals neodymium and dysprosium, and the by-products (from base metals) indium, tellurium and gallium. The report explores a set of potential mitigation strategies, ranging from expanding European output, increasing recycling and reuse to reducing waste and finding substitutes for these metals in their main applications. A number of recommendations are provided which include: • ensuring that materials used in significant quantities are included in the Raw Materials Yearbook proposed by the Raw Materials Initiative ad hoc Working Group, • the publication of regular studies on supply and demand for critical metals, • efforts to ensure reliable supply of ore concentrates at competitive prices, • promoting R&D and demonstration projects on new lower cost separation processes, particularly those from by-product or tailings containing rare earths, • collaborating with other countries/regions with a shared agenda of risk reduction, • raising awareness and engaging in an active dialogue with zinc, copper and aluminium refiners over by-product recovery, • creating incentives to encourage by-product recovery in zinc, copper and aluminium refining in Europe, • promoting the further development of recycling technologies and increasing end-of-life collection, • measures for the implementation of the revised WEEE Directive, and • investing broadly in alternative technologies. It is also recommended that a similar study should be carried out to identify the metal requirements and associated bottlenecks in other green technologies, such as electric vehicles, low-carbon lighting, electricity storage and fuel cells and hydrogen.JRC.F.7-Energy systems evaluatio

Potential and Challenges for Building Integrated Photo-voltaics in the Agder Region

In the search for clean and renewable energy sources, photovoltaic or solar electric power generation is a quickly maturing industry that is carving out a significant role as a source of abundant, safe and clean renewable energy. This report will look at the current trends and developments in photovoltaic power production and the potential of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) for the Agder region.Regionale Forskningsfond Agde

Future benefits and applications of intelligent on-board processing to VSAT services

The trends and roles of VSAT services in the year 2010 time frame are examined based on an overall network and service model for that period. An estimate of the VSAT traffic is then made and the service and general network requirements are identified. In order to accommodate these traffic needs, four satellite VSAT architectures based on the use of fixed or scanning multibeam antennas in conjunction with IF switching or onboard regeneration and baseband processing are suggested. The performance of each of these architectures is assessed and the key enabling technologies are identified

Information Outlook, September 1998

Volume 2, Issue 9https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_io_1998/1008/thumbnail.jp

Historic Developments, Current Technologies and Potential of Nanotechnology to Develop Next Generation Solar Cells with Improved Efficiency

Sun is the continuous source of renewable energy, from where we can get abundant of solar energy. Concept of conversionof solar energy into heat was used back in 200 B.C. since then, the solar cells have been developed which can convert solar energy into theelectrical energy and these systems have been produced commercially. The technologies to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE)have been continuously improved. Different technologies used for developing solar cells can be categorized either on the basis of materialused or techniques of technology development which is further termed as ‘first generation' (e.g. crystalline silicon), ‘second generation'(thin films of Amorphous silicon, Copper indium gallium selenide, Cadmium telluride), ‘Third generation' (Concentrated, Organic and Dyesensitize solar cell). These technologies give PCE up to 25% depending on the technology and the materials used. Nanotechnology enablesthe use of nanomaterial whose size is below 100 nm with extraordinary properties which has the capability to enhance the PCE to greaterextent. Various nanomaterials like Quantum Dots, Quantum well, carbon nanotubes, Nanowire and graphene have been used to makeefficient and economical solar cells, which not only provide high conversion efficiency economically but also are easy to produce. Today,by using nanotechnology, conversion efficiency up to 44.7 % has been achieved by Fraunhofer Institute at Germany. In this review article,we have reviewed the literature including various patents and publications, summarized the history of solar cell development, developmentof different technologies and rationale of their development highlighting the advantages and challenges involved in their development forcommercial purpose. We have also included the recent developments in solar cell research where different nanomaterials have beendesigned and used successfully to prove their superiority over conventional systems

Materials science and applications of solid crystals

AbstractProfessor Robert Triboulet from CNRS, France and Professor Antoni Rogalski from the Institute of Applied Physics, Military University of Technology in Warsaw, Poland report on the ”Second International Conference on Solid State Crystals (ICSSG)-Material Science and Applications“, which was held in Zakopane, Poland, 9-13 October and covered developments in bulk crystal growth of GaN and CdZnTe, infra-red detectors for thermal imaging arrays on cars, and two-colour QWIP detectors

Measurement science and manufacturing science research

The research program of Semiconductor Research Corp. is managed as three overlapping areas: Manufacturing Sciences, Design Sciences and Microstructure Sciences. A total of 40 universities are participating in the performance of over 200 research tasks. The goals and direction of Manufacturing Sciences research became more clearly focused through the efforts of the Manufacturing Sciences Committee of the SRC Technical Advisory Board (TAB). The mission of the SRC Manufacturing Research is the quantification, control, and understanding of semiconductor manufacturing process necessary to achieve a predictable and profitable product output in the competitive environment of the next decade. The 1994 integrated circuit factory must demonstrate a three level hierarchy of control: (1) operation control, (2) process control, and (3) process design. These levels of control are briefly discussed