Smestad G.P. Optoelectronics of Solar Cells

Bellingham, USA: SPIE (The International Society for Optical Engineering), 2002. — 113 p. — ISBN: 978-0-8194-4440-0, 978-1-62870-102-9, 0-8194-4440-5.With concerns about worldwide environmental security, global warming, and climate change due to emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels, it is desirable to have a wide range of energy technologies in a nation's portfolio. These technologies can be used in domestic markets, or exported to other nations, helping them to "leapfrog" to a cleaner, and less carbon intensive, energy path. Far from being an altruistic act, these energy technologies are lucrative businesses that will grow stronger in the global economy of the 21st century. According to U.S. DOE EIA, NREL U.S. PV Industry Technology Roadmap 1999 Workshop and Strategies Unlimited, photovoltaics (or PV) is a billion dollar a year industry and is expected to grow at a rate of 15-20% per year over the next few decades. Solar cells have already proven themselves a viable option as a nonpolluting renewable energy source in many applications. It is advantageous to optical engineers to have at least a basic knowledge of how these devices function, and of the important parameters that control their operation. This text is designed to be an overview for those in the fields of optics and optical engineering, as well as those who are interested in energy policy, economics, and the requirements for efficient photo-to-electric energy conversion.Introduction to Solar Cells
Philosophy of the Text
Renewable Energy and Photovoltaics Background
What is a Solar Cell?
Solar Cell ModulesAbsorbing Solar Energy
Air Mass and the Solar Spectrum
Optical Properties of Solar-Cell Materials
Absorptivity
Absorption coefficient
Solar cell bandgap
Antireflection coatings
Thickness determination
Predicting absorptivity
PhotoluminescenceSolar Cell Equations
PV Device Characteristics
Quantum Efficiency for Current Collection
Lifetime, Diffusion Length, and Electron Concentrations
The Transport Equation and Current ExtractionPhotoelectrochemistry
Basic Photoelectrochemistry
The Dye-sensitized Nanocrystalline Solar CellGeneralized Model of a Solar Converter
General Thermodynamics of Light Conversion
Detailed Balance: The Generalized Planck Equation
The Luminescent Output
The Relationship Between Voltage and Luminescence Efficiency
Current-Voltage Characteristics and LuminescenceConcentrators of Light
The Thermodynamic Limits of Light Concentrators
Geometrical Optics
General theory and sine brightness law
Examples of ideal geometric concentrators
Active Concentrators (Luminescent Systems)
Theory of luminescent systems
Light Enhancement in the EnvironmentEconomics of Photovoltaic Cells and Systems
The Basics of PV Economics
Estimated Solar Module Cost
Economics of Photovoltaic Systems
Economics of Solar Energy in the World Economy
Conclusions and Further StudyAppendix
Basic Solar Energy Library for the Optical Specialist