Reconfigurable modular battery pack for electric aircraft

Aviation is a growing industry responsible for over 2% of the energy-related CO2 emissions in 2021. To achieve the 'Net Zero Emission by 2050 scenario', the aviation industry is turning towards modern propulsion technologies that reduce carbon and NOx emissions. Research is taking place on many prospective aircraft designs, such as hybrid/turbo...

Development and Implementation of In-line Characterization Methods for Roll-to-Roll Production of Thin-Film Solar Modules

This report emphasizes the importance of implementing quality control methods in the production machines at HyET Solar for assessing the quality of deposited materials. The focus is on two key steps: the deposition of the front transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer and the deposition of silicon layers. Models were developed to characterize...

The art of texturing glass for Photovoltaics: Processing and optical characterisation

Thin-film silicon technology creates electricity out of micrometer thick silicon absorber layers, which makes this technology less material heavy compared to classic crystalline technology. This advantage can be further exploited with the transition towards flexible thin-film technology, where the non-modular cost can be further reduced compared...

High Voltage Multijunction Photovoltaic Devices: Current Matching and the Characterization of Low Bandgap Material Germanium Tin

A next step in the energy transition is to produce green fuels from sunlight. One way to achieve this is via high voltage photovoltaic (PV) devices which can directly drive electrolysis reactions to produce hydrogen or other chemical fuels. Group IV based multijunction (MJ) PV devices are a candidate to function as these high voltage devices.<br...

Energy Loss Analysis of Tandem PV Modules under Realistic Operating Conditions

To complete the energy transition, a high efficiency for photovoltaic (PV) modules is desirable to reduce the needed material and surface area (per unit of generated electrical energy). The tandem PV technology has the potential to increase the efficiency of PV modules over 30%. In order to design efficient solar cells, a quantification of the...

Modelling alkaline silicon-air batteries: A finite element model

Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy rely on climate­ and weather conditions, like sun irradiation in the case of solar energy, and wind speed in the case of wind energy. These change throughout the day and with the seasons. There are periods of little wind, and during the night there is no sunlight. During periods of no...

Energy rating of bifacial PV modules

Climate change and global warming effect is currently one of the main threats that humanity is facing. The significant increase of greenhouse gas emissions since industrialisation has contributed to the global warming and therefore, the use of sustainable energy sources with zero greenhouse gas emissions has emerged as an urgent priority....