Crystal growth and materials research in photovoltaics: progress and challenges

Surek, T.

doi:10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2004.10.093

Cited by 136 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…1 In these applications, reliable control of carrier concentration is essential to optimize both optical transparency and electrical conductivity. 2 Electrochemical deposition of transparent semiconductors is gaining acceptance as a viable means of producing films of transparent semiconducting metal oxides such as ZnO and TiO 2 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Significant Carrier Concentration Changes in Native Electrodeposited ZnO

Chatman

Emberley

Poduska

2009

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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We show that unintentional hydrogen doping of ZnO during the electrodeposition process can impact the material's carrier concentration as significantly as others have reported for intentional extrinsic doping. Mott-Schottky analyses on the natively n-type electrodeposits show a decrease in carrier concentrations from 10 21 to 10 18 cm −3 with increasing overpotential. A strong link exists between larger optical band gaps (determined from diffuse reflectance spectroscopy) and higher carrier concentrations, which suggests that hydrogen-based doping underlies the n-type conductivity (Moss-Burstein effect). We propose that kinetic defects introduced during growth at larger overpotentials compete with hydrogen doping, thereby leading to lower net carrier concentrations.This has important implications for using deposition potential to tune other electrodeposit properties such as growth rate and morphology.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Significant Carrier Concentration Changes in Native Electrodeposited ZnO

Chatman

Emberley

Poduska

2009

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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“…Figure 4 shows the decrease in the cost of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules as the production rate has increased, as well as predicted future costs for both wafer-based c-Si and the emerging technologies to be discussed. 6 The current cost of ∼$4/W p (W p = watt peak) is still too high to significantly influence energy production markets. Although it is difficult to determine exactly, best estimates are that costs for wafer-based Si panels will level off in the range of $1-1.50/W p in the next 10 years, 7 substantially higher than the $0.33/W p target.…”

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confidence: 99%

Solar Energy Conversion Toward 1 Terawatt

2008

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Harvesting energy directly from sunlight using photovoltaic (PV) technology or concentrating solar power (solar thermal energy conversion) is increasingly being recognized as an essential component of future global energy production. The decreased availability of fossil fuel sources and the realization of the detrimental long-term effects of emissions of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere are driving research and deployment for new environmentally friendly energy sources, especially renewable energy resources. An additional driving force is the increasing worldwide sensitivity toward energy security and price stability. Capturing even a small fraction of the 162,000 terawatts (TW) that reaches the earth would significantly impact the overall energy balance. PV systems, in addition, are portable and well-suited to distributed applications. The largescale manufacturing of photovoltaics is increasingly economically viable. The rapid expansion of manufacturing capability in PV components and the deployment of concentrating solar power (CSP) systems offers the potential for supplying a significant fraction (10% without need for storage) of our energy demand with minimal environmental impact. (See accompanying sidebar by Mehos for additional detail.) In addition, it is clear that these technologies represent one of the next major high-technology economic drivers eventually succeeding microelectronics, telecommunications, and display industries. Truly achieving this goal will require materials-science-driven cost reductions, not just incremental cost reductions through economies of scale.In 2004, the average total worldwide power consumption was 15 TW (1.5 × 10 13 W), with 86.5% from the burning of fossil fuels, according to U.S. Department of Energy statistics. In 2003, 39.6 quads (1 quad = 1 quadrillion BTU = 1.055 × 10 9 GJ, 29.9 quad = 1 TW-year) of energy, largely from fossil fuels, was consumed to produce electricity just in the United States. After conversion losses, 13.1 quads of net electrical energy was output by power plants for general consumption.1 This amount of electricity could be produced by a 100 km × 100 km area of high solar insolation, such as in the desert southwestern United States, covered with solar modules with a power conversion efficiency of 15%. In order to meet the U.S. Department of Energy cost goal of $0.33/W or $0.05-0.06/kWh for utility-scale production, these modules would need to be manufactured at a cost of $50/ m 2 or less. Goals for solar thermal power are comparable. Although the costs of modules are falling substantially, reaching these objectives with today's technology will require significant improvements in cell performance, as well as in the additional components making up the balance of solar systems. In addition, a variety of new technologies including thin films, thin silicon, organic photovoltaics, multijunction concentrator approaches, and next-generation nanostructured devices have the potential to significantly reduce the cost per watt.With the recog...

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“…Modules prices are falling with their own, independent dynamics [18,19]. Meanwhile, specific machine costs could be lower by increasing ice machine power.…”

Section: Economic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

An ice machine adapted into an autonomous photovoltaic system without batteries using a variable‐speed drive

Driemeier

Zilles

2010

Progress in Photovoltaics

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The adaptation of a commercially available ice machine for autonomous photovoltaic operation without batteries is presented. In this adaptation a 1040 W p photovoltaic array directly feeds a variable-speed drive and a 24 V dc source. The drive runs an induction motor coupled by belt-and-pulley to an open reciprocating compressor, while the dc source supplies a solenoid valve and the control electronics. Motor speed and refrigerant evaporation pressure are set aiming at continuously matching system power demand to photovoltaic power availability. The resulting system is a simple integration of robust, standard, readily available parts. It produces 27 kg of ice in a clear-sky day and has ice production costs around US$0.30/kg. Although a few machine features might be specific to Brazil, its technical and economical guidelines are applicable elsewhere.

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Crystal growth and materials research in photovoltaics: progress and challenges

Cited by 136 publications

References 3 publications

Significant Carrier Concentration Changes in Native Electrodeposited ZnO

Significant Carrier Concentration Changes in Native Electrodeposited ZnO

Solar Energy Conversion Toward 1 Terawatt

An ice machine adapted into an autonomous photovoltaic system without batteries using a variable‐speed drive

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