Techno-Economic Assessment of Half-Cell Modules for Desert Climates: An Overview on Power, Performance, Durability and Costs

Photovoltaic modules in desert areas benefit from high irradiation levels but suffer from harsh environmental stress factors, which influence the Levelized Cost of Electricity by decreasing the lifetime and performance and increasing the maintenance costs. Using optimized half-cell module designs mounted in the most efficient orientation according to the plant requirements can lead to reduced production costs, increased energy yield and longer service lives for PV modules in desert areas. In this work, we review the technical advantages of half-cell modules in desert regions and discuss the potential gains in levelized costs of electricity due to reduced material consumption, a higher cell-to-module power ratio, lower module temperatures, better yields, reduced cleaning cycles and finally, reduced fatigue in interconnection due to thermal cycling. We show that half-cell modules are the most cost-effective option for desert areas and are expected to have a relevant lower Levelized Cost of Electricity

Chemical and electronic characterization of methyl-terminated Si(111) surfaces by high-resolution synchrotron photoelectron spectroscopy

The chemical state, electronic properties, and geometric structure of methyl-terminated Si(111) surfaces prepared using a two-step chlorination/alkylation process were investigated using high-resolution synchrotron photoelectron spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction methods. The electron diffraction data indicated that the methylated Si surfaces maintained a (1×1) structure, where the dangling bonds of the silicon surface atoms were terminated by methyl groups. The surfaces were stable to annealing at 720 K. The high degree of ordering was reflected in a well-resolved vibrational fine structure of the carbon 1s photoelectron emission, with the fine structure arising from the excitation of C-H stretching vibrations having hnu=0.38±0.01 eV. The carbon-bonded surface Si atoms exhibited a well-defined x-ray photoelectron signal having a core level shift of 0.30±0.01 eV relative to bulk Si. Electronically, the Si surface was close to the flat-band condition. The methyl termination produced a surface dipole of –0.4 eV. Surface states related to piCH3 and sigmaSi-C bonding orbitals were identified at binding energies of 7.7 and 5.4 eV, respectively. Nearly ideal passivation of Si(111) surfaces can thus be achieved by methyl termination using the two-step chlorination/alkylation process

Techno-Economic Assessment of Half-Cell Modules for Desert Climates: An Overview on Power, Performance, Durability and Costs

Photovoltaic modules in desert areas benefit from high irradiation levels but suffer from harsh environmental stress factors, which influence the Levelized Cost of Electricity by decreasing the lifetime and performance and increasing the maintenance costs. Using optimized half-cell module designs mounted in the most efficient orientation according to the plant requirements can lead to reduced production costs, increased energy yield and longer service lives for PV modules in desert areas. In this work, we review the technical advantages of half-cell modules in desert regions and discuss the potential gains in levelized costs of electricity due to reduced material consumption, a higher cell-to-module power ratio, lower module temperatures, better yields, reduced cleaning cycles and finally, reduced fatigue in interconnection due to thermal cycling. We show that half-cell modules are the most cost-effective option for desert areas and are expected to have a relevant lower Levelized Cost of Electricity

Techno-Economic Assessment of Half-Cell Modules for Desert Climates: An Overview on Power, Performance, Durability and Costs

Photovoltaic modules in desert areas benefit from high irradiation levels but suffer from harsh environmental stress factors, which influence the Levelized Cost of Electricity by decreasing the lifetime and performance and increasing the maintenance costs. Using optimized half-cell module designs mounted in the most efficient orientation according to the plant requirements can lead to reduced production costs, increased energy yield and longer service lives for PV modules in desert areas. In this work, we review the technical advantages of half-cell modules in desert regions and discuss the potential gains in levelized costs of electricity due to reduced material consumption, a higher cell-to-module power ratio, lower module temperatures, better yields, reduced cleaning cycles and finally, reduced fatigue in interconnection due to thermal cycling. We show that half-cell modules are the most cost-effective option for desert areas and are expected to have a relevant lower Levelized Cost of Electricity

Techno-Economic Assessment of Half-Cell Modules for Desert Climates: An Overview on Power, Performance, Durability and Costs

Photovoltaic modules in desert areas benefit from high irradiation levels but suffer from harsh environmental stress factors, which influence the Levelized Cost of Electricity by decreasing the lifetime and performance and increasing the maintenance costs. Using optimized half-cell module designs mounted in the most efficient orientation according to the plant requirements can lead to reduced production costs, increased energy yield and longer service lives for PV modules in desert areas. In this work, we review the technical advantages of half-cell modules in desert regions and discuss the potential gains in levelized costs of electricity due to reduced material consumption, a higher cell-to-module power ratio, lower module temperatures, better yields, reduced cleaning cycles and finally, reduced fatigue in interconnection due to thermal cycling. We show that half-cell modules are the most cost-effective option for desert areas and are expected to have a relevant lower Levelized Cost of Electricity

Techno-Economic Assessment of Half-Cell Modules for Desert Climates: An Overview on Power, Performance, Durability and Costs

Photovoltaic modules in desert areas benefit from high irradiation levels but suffer from harsh environmental stress factors, which influence the Levelized Cost of Electricity by decreasing the lifetime and performance and increasing the maintenance costs. Using optimized half-cell module designs mounted in the most efficient orientation according to the plant requirements can lead to reduced production costs, increased energy yield and longer service lives for PV modules in desert areas. In this work, we review the technical advantages of half-cell modules in desert regions and discuss the potential gains in levelized costs of electricity due to reduced material consumption, a higher cell-to-module power ratio, lower module temperatures, better yields, reduced cleaning cycles and finally, reduced fatigue in interconnection due to thermal cycling. We show that half-cell modules are the most cost-effective option for desert areas and are expected to have a relevant lower Levelized Cost of Electricity

High-Resolution Synchrotron Photoemission Studies of the Electronic Structure and Thermal Stability of CH_(3-) and C_2H_(5-)functionalized Si(111) Surfaces

The relative coverage, thermal stability, and electronic properties of CH_(3-) and C_2H_(5-)functionalized Si(111) surfaces prepared by a two-step chlorination/alkylation procedure have been compared using high-resolution synchrotron photoemission spectroscopy. Whereas the CH_(3-) terminated Si(111) surface showed only one C 2s peak for the occupied σ orbitals, the C 2s spectra of C_2H_(5-)terminated Si(111) surfaces showed a symmetric splitting of the occupied σ orbitals, as expected for an ethyl moiety bonded to the surface. The C_2H_5 termination resulted in an unpinning of the Si surface Fermi level, with a band bending of ∼0.2 eV, and produced a surface dipole potential step of −0.23(15) eV. The observed close-to-flat-band condition is similar to that of CH_3−Si(111) and is consistent with H termination of the non-alkylated Si atop sites in the two-step chlorination/alkylation process. The C_2H_(5-)functionalized Si(111) surfaces decomposed at temperatures >300 °C, whereas CH_3−Si(111) surfaces were stable up to at least 440 °C. The data clearly highlight the similarities and identify some significant differences between the behavior of the CH_3- and C_2H_(5-)functionalized Si(111) surfaces