Nanocrystalline Silicon Solar Cells on Flexible Al Substrates

Thin film solar cell technologies are gaining more favour over first generation PV technologies such as monocrystalline silicon PV modules. This is due to their special characteristics such as lightweight, flexibility and reduced resource consumption. HyET Solar is a Netherlands based company that makes thin film amorphous silicon modules using...

New Methods of Texturing Crystalline Silicon For Multi-Junction Solar Cell Applications

In this thesis, two new types of crystalline silicon texturization were developed, eventually aimed to be used in a triple junction solar cell from monocrystalline silicon and two thin film silicon alloy layers. The bottom of the two thin film silicon layers is made of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H). The current problem with this...

Hybrid energy systems for remote island electrification in the Philippines: A techno-economic feasibility study of tidal stream energy implementation

Climate mitigation measures are integrated in various governmental and commercial initiatives. The sector of electrification and energy is no exception to this. For remote island communities however, the access to reliable and affordable electricity comes with additional difficulties. The effects of climate change, energy dependency and...

System level analysis of advanced a-Si:H flexible and lightweight PV modules

Thin film amorphous silicon based PV systems are a rather new and promising photovoltaic technology with plenty field for technological development and potential for unique applications such as integration within the built environment. Nevertheless, in order for the technology to be established, further technical development is required and...

Texturing approaches for the fabrication of nc-Si:H/c-Si tandem devices

This thesis is dedicated to the fabrication of a novel silicon based tandem cell which combines hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin film(TF) photovoltaic (PV) technology and silicon heterojunction (SHJ) c-Si based PV technology. As a matter of fact, the growth of nc-Si:H on a flat c-Si substrate is not uniformas it irregularly...

Development of a-SiGe:H: from material characterization to multi-junction device

Multi-junction solar cells with Si alloys have true potential for high conversion efficiency, because of the spectrum splitting capability. For optimal spectral utilization, a multi-junction silicon based device needs a silicon alloy with a bandgap between that of nc-Si (1.1 eV) and a-Si (1.8 eV). a-SiGe:H has a tunable bandgap between 1.4-1.6...

Dynamic Modelling of a solar-based power system for off-grid horticultural projects

With the rise of population, the world energy demands are increasing. This implies a greater pressure on the horticulture industry to increase its production, thus requiring a high energy intensive setup. Thus, sustainable energy sources will play a crucial part in the transition towards sustainability and reducing the carbon emissions in the...

A study on Solar PV and Wind energy diffusion in India and China: Barrier analysis using Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) method

During the Paris Agreement of 2015, 195 UNFCCC members pledged to improve the global response to climate change by reducing the carbon emissions and contributing to keeping the average global temperature increase well below 2° above the pre-industrial levels. The whole world is gradually shifting towards renewable resources but this transition...

Upscaling thin film solar cells for water treatment devices

The availability of clean drinking water and various energy sources has always been taken for granted and considered to be infinite throughout human history. However, nowadays, we have reached a historical moment in which we are over-exploiting the Earth's resources. The reduction of the high level of pollution in the air and in the water is one...

Thermal and Electrical Design of ConCur Concentrator Solar Panel

With the rapidly advancing technology in the field of concentrator photovoltaics for terrestrial applications, the aerospace industry is eager to innovate and incorporate this idea. Concentrated solar light offers a cheaper but more complex solution to extract more power without increasing the number of solar cells. For extraterrestrial...

Study of Yield Performance for Different PV Static and Dynamic System Orientation Topologies

One of the most important aspects to consider when a PV system will be mounted, is the PV panel’s orientation in order to receive the highest amount of solar radiation and thus produce as much energy as possible. This is achieved by tilting the solar panel to an optimal angle (which depends of the location’s latitude) or by tracking systems...

Absorber and interfaces of kesterite solar cells

In the previous decade, Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (kesterite) compounds have attracted the interest of several research groups across the world. Their efforts have improved this technology from 5 % power conversion efficiency in 2004 to above 13 % in 2017 (communicated but not published) [1]. This thesis begins with an assessment of the current status of...