Beyond 3rd generation solar cells and the full spectrum project. Recent advances and new emerging solar cells

2021-08-01
Solar cells have over 50-years of development history; many different devices and technologies are studied over this time span, and interestingly it is still a hot research topic. Although the physical mechanisms involved in photovoltaic processes are rather fundamental, the characterization and classification of the research pathways seem complicated and can even lead to misleading argumentation. Various photovoltaic devices are classified as first, second- and third- generation based on the developments for the last 25 years to highlight the development history of diverse photovoltaic technologies. This classification may not be appropriate if the recent developments are considered. Wafer based solar cells are regarded as the first-generation and the thin-film solar cells as the second-generation. In the third-generation solar cells, there are many different applications that might be confusing if a firm classification would not be outlined. In the present article, we comprehensively classified the recent developments on the subject and presented an overall perspective. A brief review of the physics and physical mechanisms are given, and based on these mechanisms, a clear classification is outlined. Then, recent experimental and theoretical researches are presented together with a summary of the related review articles recently appeared in the literature.
Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments

Suggestions

Production of amorphous silicon / p-type crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells by sputtering and PECVD methods
Eygi, Zeynep Deniz; Turan, Raşit; Erçelebi, Ayşe Çiğdem; Department of Physics (2011)
Silicon heterojunction solar cells, a-Si:H/c-Si, are promising technology for future photovoltaic systems. An a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cell combines the advantages of single crystalline silicon photovoltaic with thin-film technologies. This thesis reports a detailed survey of heterojunction silicon solar cells with p-type wafer fabricated by magnetron sputtering and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) techniques at low processing temperature. In the first part of this study, magnetron ...
OPTIMIZATION OF EMITTER LAYER IN N-TYPE BIFACIAL CRYSTALLINE SOLAR CELL
Salimi, Yasaman; Turan, Raşit; Ünalan, Hüsnü Emrah; Department of Micro and Nanotechnology (2022-5-09)
P-type solar cells currently hold most of the market share in industrial solar cell fabrication statistics. NREL's highest efficiency record for p-type crystalline perc cells is 22.8%. However, there is an ever-increasing interest in n-type wafers due to the many advantages they have against p-type cells. According to the ITRPV's estimation, the n-type cell structures will be taking half the industry's share by 2031. Compared to p-type cells, n-type cells yield better efficiency and lifetime values and are ...
A numerical analysis of interdigitated back contacted silicon solar cells
Acar, Beran; Yerci, Selçuk; Turan, Raşit; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (2018)
The state-of-the-art solar cells manufactured using crystalline silicon (c-Si) are highly cost-effective, competing with fossil fuel-based energy sources. However, relatively more complex cell structures (i.e. interdigitated back contact, IBC) need to be developed to further increase the efficiency/cost ratio. In this thesis, the effects of structural parameters such as cell dimensions, metal contact geometry and contact resistances on the efficiency of IBC and bifacial IBC silicon solar cells were studied ...
Guideline for Optical Optimization of Planar Perovskite Solar Cells
Koc, Mehmet; Soltanpoor, Wiria; Bektas, Gence; Bolink, Henk J.; Yerci, Selçuk (2019-12-01)
Organometallic halide perovskite solar cells have emerged as a versatile photovoltaic technology with soaring efficiencies. Planar configuration, in particular, has been a structure of choice thanks to its lower temperature processing, compatibility with tandem solar cells, and potential in commercialization. Despite all the breakthroughs in the field, the optical mechanisms leading to highly efficient perovskite solar cells lack profound insight. In this paper, a comprehensive guideline is introduced invol...
Analysis of boron doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide thin film for silicon heterojunction solar cells
Salimi, Arghavan; Turan, Raşit; Department of Micro and Nanotechnology (2019)
Silicon based solar cells are the dominant type of solar cells in the photovoltaic industry. Recently, there have been increasing efforts to develop c-Si solar cells with higher efficiency and lower cost. Among them, silicon heterojunction solar cell (SHJ) is attracting much attention because of its superior performance values demonstrated at both R&D and industrial levels. One of the common limiting criteria is the recombination at the front side which can be solved by providing proper passivation at the f...
Citation Formats
B. G. Akınoğlu and V. Badescu, “Beyond 3rd generation solar cells and the full spectrum project. Recent advances and new emerging solar cells,” Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, pp. 0–0, 2021, Accessed: 00, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85107032073&origin=inward.