Optimal Design of Multilayer Optical Color Filters for Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) Applications

Herein, the application of a comprehensive modeling framework that can help optimize the design of multilayered optical filters for coloring photovoltaic (PV) modules is presented based on crystalline silicon solar cells. To overcome technical issues related to the implementation of color filters (CFs) on PV modules, like glare and color...

Poly-SiO_x Passivating Contacts with Plasma-Assisted N₂O Oxidation of Silicon (PANO-SiO_x)

Passivating contacts are crucial for realizing high-performance crystalline silicon solar cells. Herein, contact formation by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) followed by an annealing step is focused on. Poly-SiO_x passivating contacts by combining plasma-assisted N₂O-based oxidation of silicon (PANO-SiO...

Overview of key results achieved in H2020 HighLite project helping to raise the EU PV industries' competitiveness

The EU crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV manufacturing industry has faced strong foreign competition in the last decade. To strive in this competitive environment and differentiate itself from the competition, the EU c-Si PV manufacturing industry needs to (1) focus on highly performing c-Si PV technologies, (2) include sustainability by design,...

Photovoltaic system monitoring and fault detection using peer systems

Monitoring residential scale photovoltaic (PV) systems is important for maximizing the energy yield and detecting malfunctions. Analytical-based approaches are not reliable in these systems because of the lack of on-site measurements and detailed PV system specifications. In this paper, a collaborative approach is proposed which does not...

Meteorologically-Informed Spatial Planning of European PV Deployment to Reduce Multiday Generation Variability

Renewable generation variability over multiple days is a key challenge in decarbonizing the European power system. Weather regimes are one way to quantify this variability, but so far, their applications to energy research have focused on wind power generation in winter. However, the projected growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity implies...

Effect of Climate on Photovoltaic Yield Prediction Using Machine Learning Models

Machine learning is arising as a major solution for the photovoltaic (PV) power prediction. Despite the abundant literature, the effect of climate on yield predictions using machine learning is unknown. This work aims to find climatic trends by predicting the power of 48 PV systems around the world, equally divided into four climates. An...

Characterization of Enzymatically Synthesized Titania Thin Films Using Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy Reveals Low-Cost Approach for Organic/Inorganic Photovoltaic Cells

A new method is developed to produce mesoporous titania thin films at room temperature using the enzyme papain in a dip-coating procedure, providing low-cost titania films in a sustainable manner. Quartz crystal microbalance, positron annihilation Doppler broadening and lifetime spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray...

Toward BaSi₂/Si Heterojunction Thin-Film Solar Cells: Insights into Heterointerface Investigation, Barium Depletion, and Silicide-Mediated Silicon Crystallization

The knowledge of the structural and compositional details of Si/BaSi₂/Si heterostructure annealed at high temperature is a prerequisite for BaSi₂ application in heterojunction thin-film solar cells. For this purpose, Si/BaSi₂/Si heterostructures deposited by magnetron sputtering with different Si layer...

Bias-Free in Situ H₂O₂ Generation in a Photovoltaic-Photoelectrochemical Tandem Cell for Biocatalytic Oxyfunctionalization

Peroxygenases catalyze selective oxyfunctionalization of hydrocarbons with high conversion efficiencies using H₂O₂ as a key cosubstrate. Here, we report an unbiased photoelectrochemical (PEC) tandem structure consisting of a FeOOH/BiVO₄ photoanode, a Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar absorber, and a graphitic...

A photovoltaic window with sun-tracking shading elements towards maximum power generation and non-glare daylighting

Vertical space bears great potential of solar energy especially for congested urban areas, where photovoltaic (PV) windows in high-rise buildings can contribute to both power generation and daylight harvest. Previous studies on sun-tracking PV windows strayed into the trade-off between tracking performance and mutual shading, failing to achieve...

Metal Halide Perovskite Polycrystalline Films Exhibiting Properties of Single Crystals

Metal halide perovskites are generating enormous excitement for use in solar cells and light-emission applications, but devices still show substantial non-radiative losses. Here, we show that by combining light and atmospheric treatments, we can increase the internal luminescence quantum efficiencies of polycrystalline perovskite films from 1...

Optical modeling of thin-film silicon solar cells with submicron periodic gratings and nonconformal layers

In thin-film silicon solar cells (TFSC) efficient light management is essential in order to increase energy conversion efficiency. The application of nano-scale periodic gratings (PG) is a promising method to enhance absorption in the absorber layers of TFSC since they can efficiently scatter the incident light. Carefully designed gratings give...

Environmental impact of thin-film GaInP/GaAs and multicrystalline silicon solar modules produced with solar electricity