Semiconductors
New Generation CPV Cells up to 50% Efficiency
22 May 2013POSTED IN Applications News
In an industry project with the French company Soitec, Fraunhofer ISE is currently developing a new generation of multi-junction solar cells with efficiency potential as high as 50% under concentrated sunlight.
Old Microwave Synthesises CZTS Nanocrystals in Minutes
22 May 2013POSTED IN Research
Researchers at The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah (US) have used a discarded microwave oven to produce CZTS nanocrystals from cheap, abundant and less toxic metals than other photovoltaic semiconductors. Now they want to optimise this potentially fast, large-scale production method for commercialisation.
Fluorescent Organic Dye Boosts Light Absorption, Recycles Electrons in Solar Cells
16 May 2013POSTED IN Research
Adding fluorescent organic squaraine dye into polymer solar cells considerably boosts light absorption and recycles electrons, scientists at Yale University have discovered. Consequentially, power conversion efficiency (PCE) increased by 38% in the experiments.
Cree Introduces Silicon Carbide Power Module
15 May 2013POSTED IN New Products
Cree, Inc. is introducing the industry’s first commercially available silicon carbide (SiC) six-pack power module in an industry standard 45mm package.
Nanostructure-Coated Black Silicon Solar Cells Via ALD
09 May 2013POSTED IN Research
Aspiring to improve photovoltaic energy conversion efficiency by using latest advances in nanotechnology, researchers at Aalto University, Finland, are combining “black silicon” with the method of atomic layer deposition (ALD). As a result, the nanostructures fabricated by plasma dry etching minimise sunlight reflection. Moreover, a conformal, thin passivating layer, deposited onto the nanostructures through ALD, prevents charge carriers from recombining at the surface.
Pentacene Coating Could Push Solar Cell Efficiency Beyond Shockley-Queisser Limit
25 April 2013POSTED IN Research
Thanks to a new coating developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), solar cells could produce two electrons for every particle of light harvested at the green and blue wavelengths. The research advance could be the key to solar cell efficiencies beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit, which proposes that the ultimate conversion efficiency can never exceed 34% for a single optimised semiconductor junction.
Bottom-Up Growth Key to 4.9% Efficient QD Solar Cells
09 April 2013POSTED IN Research
New research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts (US), shows that bottom-up-grown one-dimensional nanostructures can significantly improve the performance of colloidal quantum dot (QD) solar cells. In fact, the MIT team demonstrated a solar power conversion efficiency of 4.9%, which is among the highest reported for zinc-oxide-based quantum dot photovoltaics (QDPV).
Neutron Scattering Technique May Increase Thin-Film Solar Efficiency
11 March 2013POSTED IN Research
Engineers and scientists from the University of Sheffield, UK, have pioneered a new technique — called SERGIS — to measure the structure of PCBM crystallites (a fullerene derivative of the C60 buckyball) in thin-film solar cell materials, which will ultimately help to make the cells more efficient.
Yale’s Carbon Nanotube Thin Film Could Advance Si Solar Cells
04 March 2013POSTED IN Research
A carbon nanotube (CNT) thin film developed by researchers at the Yale University could prove a novel and cost-effective way to realise superior photovoltaic properties of crystalline solar cells. The hybrid carbon nanotube/silicon solar cells may have unmatched power conversion efficiency.
Layered Oxide Heterostructures for Ultra-Efficient, Ultra-Thin Solar Cells
24 February 2013POSTED IN Research
In their quest for advanced solar cell materials, researchers at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna), Austria, in collaboration with colleagues from Germany and the US, are exploring a new class of materials where single atomic layers are combined to create novel materials with entirely new properties. Computer simulations revealed that layered oxide heterostructures hold great potential for ultra-efficient, ultra-thin solar cells.
Holographic Optic Could Double Efficiency, Slash Cost of Silicon Solar Modules
18 February 2013POSTED IN Research
The companies Apollon in Dresden, Germany and Solar Bankers in Arizona (US) have collaboratively created silicon-based solar cells that could be twice as efficient as existing panels, thanks to a holographic foil. The enhanced concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) modules use 90% less silicon and could solve the problem of efficiency losses caused by heat. The novel devices, which achieved 28% power conversion efficiency in tests, are thus expected to be inexpensive enough to be manufactured in Germany or the US.
If Darwin Had Designed a Solar Cell…
11 February 2013POSTED IN Research
Using a mathematical search algorithm based on natural evolution, researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (US) have designed a geometrically patterned light-scattering layer that could make organic solar cells more efficient and less expensive by maximizing the time light is trapped in the device.
More Efficient, Cheaper Solar Cells with InP Nanowires
04 February 2013POSTED IN Research
Research at Lund University in Sweden has shown how nanowires could pave the way for more efficient and cheaper solar cells. The indium phosphides (InP) nanowires function like antennae that absorb sunlight and generate power at 13.8% conversion efficiency. What is more, the nanowires only covered 12% of the surface in the experiment, potentially making this solar technology remarkably sustainable for its reduced use of semiconductor materials.
Multi-Junction Solar Cell to Break Efficiency Barrier
22 January 2013POSTED IN Research
The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is kicking off a collaborative three-year materials and device development programme to explore multi-junction (MJ) solar devices that could break the 50% conversion efficiency barrier under concentrated illumination. The major technology breakthrough needed to push the efficiency of a triple-junction solar cell much beyond the current world record of 44% could come with novel semiconductor materials lattice-matched to Indium phosphide (InP). NRL researchers have already produced a realistically achievable design for such a record-breaking lattice-matched multi-junction solar cell.
Solar Scientist Named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Energy
02 January 2013POSTED IN Research
When Trisha Andrew, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, first learned that she has been named to Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30 in Energy, she thought ‘What am I doing on this list?’ “There is a plethora of fantastic, bright scientists pushing the boundaries of how we generate, harvest and store energy,” says the talented innovator and former MIT fellow. And the Forbes editors have decided the organic chemist deserves a place in this distinguished group.
Exploring Carbon Nanotubes for Future PV Devices
11 December 2012POSTED IN Research
Researchers at the University of Würzburg, Germany will spend the next four years exploring the potential of carbon nanotubes (CNT) for use in new types of photovoltaic devices, with special focus on developing novel functional composite systems. Unique qualities have scientists speculate whether carbon nanotube material could deliver devices with power conversion efficiencies not only competitive to organic photovoltaics but with added benefits, such as greater long term stability, improved charge and excitation transport properties and possibly better light absorption properties in the near infrared range of the solar spectrum.
IXYS Introduces 800V Half Bridge Rectifier
06 December 2012POSTED IN New Products
IXYS Corporation, a power semiconductors and integrated circuit technologies company, today announced the availability of a new diode phase-leg in a DPak housing (TO-252) for high efficiency AC to DC rectification application.
Self-Arranging Titania Nanotubes Promise Ultra-Low-Cost Solar Cells
05 December 2012POSTED IN Research
Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts (US) have developed self-arranging titania nanotube arrays that could be advantageous in solar panels or fuel cells. The one-dimensional architecture and the large effective surface area of the nanotube arrays could provide better solar harvesting capability as well as improved charge transport.
IR Introduces StrongIRFET Devices
30 November 2012POSTED IN New Products
Power management technology company International Rectifier today announced the introduction of a family of StrongIRFET power MOSFETs with ultra-low on-state resistance for a wide variety of industrial applications including battery packs, solar inverters, uninterruptible power supplies and other applications.
Breakthrough 2D Semiconductor Possible Next-Generation Solar Cell
18 November 2012POSTED IN Research
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have successfully synthesized single-layer MoSe2 (molybdenum diselenide), which has ideal band gap values for solar harvesting. The team discovered that while 2D MoSe2 presents a direct band gap, bulk MoSe2 is an indirect band gap semiconductor when it is few-layers thick. The band characteristics are manipulated through temperature. With its advantageous band gap and great photoluminescence characteristics, this two-dimensional semiconductor offers flexibility and new options for solar applications.
