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Front and rear contact Si solar cells combining high and low thermal budget Si passivating contacts

Limodio, G. (author), Yang, G. (author), Ge, H. (author), Procel Moya, P.A. (author), de Groot, Y. (author), Mazzarella, L. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

In this work we develop a rear emitter silicon solar cell integrating carrier-selective passivating contacts (CSPCs) with different thermal budget in the same device. The solar cell consists of a B-doped poly-Si/SiO_x hole collector and an i/n hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) stack acting as electron collector placed on the...

journal article 2019

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Fast and accurate ray-casting-based view factor estimation method for complex geometries

Sönmez, Furkan Fatih (author), Ziar, H. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

The concept of view factor has various applications in engineering problems, ranging from heat management to bifacial photovoltaics. Analytical solutions for view factor calculations are difficult to obtain and normally numerical methods are used. For complex geometries, when several surfaces are arbitrarily arranged in a threedimensional...

journal article 2019

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Designing a hybrid thin-film/wafer silicon triple photovoltaic junction for solar water splitting

Perez Rodriguez, P. (author), Vijselaar, Wouter (author), Huskens, Jurriaan (author), Stam, Machiel (author), Falkenberg, M. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smith, W.A. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

Solar fuels are a promising way to store solar energy seasonally. This paper proposes an earth-abundant heterostructure to split water using a photovoltaic-electrochemical device (PV-EC). The heterostructure is based on a hybrid architecture of a thin-film (TF) silicon tandem on top of a c-Si wafer (W) heterojunction solar cell (a-Si:H (TF)...

journal article 2019

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High temperature oxidation pre-treatment of textured c-Si wafers passivated by a-Si:H

Limodio, G. (author), D'Herouville, G. (author), Mazzarella, L. (author), Zhao, Y. (author), Yang, G. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

This work shows an alternative surface cleaning method for c-Si wafers to replace the standard chemical procedures as RCA or HNO ₃ which involve hazardous chemicals or unstable processes. The method consists in a high-temperature oxidation treatment (HTO) performed in a classical tube furnace that incorporates organic and metal...

journal article 2019

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Quantifying the Benefits of a Solar Home System-Based DC Microgrid for Rural Electrification

Narayan, N.S. (author), Chamseddine, Ali (author), Vega Garita, V.E. (author), Qin, Z. (author), Popovic, J. (author), Bauer, P. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

Off-grid solar home systems (SHSs) currently constitute a major source of providing basic electricity needs in un(der)-electrified regions of the world, with around 73 million households having benefited from off-grid solar solutions by 2017. However, in and of itself, state-of-the-art SHSs can only provide electricity access with adequate...

journal article 2019

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Exploring the boundaries of Solar Home Systems (SHS) for off-grid electrification: Optimal SHS sizing for the multi-tier framework for household electricity access

Narayan, N.S. (author), Chamseddine, Ali (author), Vega Garita, V.E. (author), Qin, Z. (author), Popovic, J. (author), Bauer, P. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

With almost 1.1 billion people lacking access to electricity, solar-based off-grid products like Solar Home Systems (SHS) have become a promising solution to provide basic electricity needs in un(der)-electrified regions. Therefore, optimal system sizing is a vital task as both oversizing and undersizing a system can be detrimental to system...

journal article 2019

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Understanding the nano-photonics absorption limit in both front-side and front/rear-side textured slabs

Ahmadpanahi, S.H. (author), Vismara, R. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

Surface texturing is one of the main techniques to enhance light absorption in solar cells. In thin film devices, periodic texturing can be used to excite the guided resonances supported by the structure. Therefore, total absorption is enhanced largely due to the excitation of these resonances. Although the maximum absorption enhancement...

journal article 2019

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Solar harvesting based on perfect absorbing all-dielectric nanoresonators on a mirror

Vismara, R. (author), Länk, Nils Odebo (author), Verre, Ruggero (author), Käll, Mikael (author), Isabella, O. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

The high-index all-dielectric nanoantenna system is a platform recently used for multiple applications, from metalenses to light management. These systems usually exhibit low absorption/scattering ratios and are not efficient photon harvesters. Nevertheless, by exploiting far-field interference, all-dielectric nanostructures can be engineered...

journal article 2019

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Optimization of Three-Terminal Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells

Santbergen, R. (author), Uzu, Hisashi (author), Yamamoto, Kenji (author), Zeman, M. (author)

We use simulations to optimize perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells in a novel three-terminal configuration, with one terminal at the front and two at the rear. We consider configurations in which the top cell has either the inverted or the same polarity as the bottom cell. Our goal is to minimize the optical losses, to compare the...

journal article 2019

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Numerical Simulations of IBC Solar Cells Based on Poly-Si Carrier-Selective Passivating Contacts

Procel Moya, P.A. (author), Yang, G. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

This paper presents an analysis of physical mechanisms related to operation and optimization of interdigitated back contact (IBC) poly-silicon-based devices. Concepts of carrier selectivity and tunneling are used to identify the parameters that impact on the fill factor. Then, based on technology computer-aided design (TCAD) numerical...

journal article 2019

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Inverted pyramidally-textured PDMS antireflective foils for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells with flat top cell

Hou, Fuhua (author), Han, C. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Yan, Lingling (author), Shi, Biao (author), Chen, Junfan (author), An, Sichong (author), Zeman, M. (author)

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (TSCs) have the potential to achieve power conversion efficiency exceeding 30%. To be compatible with high-efficiency solution-deposited perovskite top cell, a planar front surface for silicon bottom cell is generally required. However, flat front surfaces result in large light reflection losses and thus...

journal article 2019

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Electrochemical Oxidation of Organic Pollutants Powered by a Silicon-Based Solar Cell

Perez Rodriguez, P. (author), Maqueira Gonzalez, Carlos (author), Doekhi-Bennani, Y. (author), Rietveld, L.C. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

Currently available (photo-)electrochemical technologies for water treatment establish a trade-off between low-pollutant concentration and costs. This paper aims at decoupling these two variables by designing a photo-oxidation device using earth abundant materials and an electronic-free approach. The proposed device combines a graphite...

journal article 2018

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Evolution and role of vacancy clusters at grain boundaries of ZnO:Al during accelerated degradation of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 solar cells revealed by positron annihilation

Shi, W. (author), Theelen, Mirjam (author), Illiberi, Andrea (author), van der Sar, S.J. (author), Butterling, M. (author), Schut, H. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Brück, E.H. (author), Eijt, S.W.H. (author)

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and Doppler broadening positron annihilation spectroscopy (DB-PAS) depth profiling demonstrate pronounced growth of vacancy clusters at the grain boundaries of as-deposited Al-doped ZnO films deposited as transparent conductive oxide (TCO) on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells upon accelerated...

journal article 2018

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Harvesting Roadway Solar Energy-Performance of the Installed Infrastructure Integrated PV Bike Path

Shekhar, A. (author), Kumaravel, Vinod Kumar (author), Klerks, Stan (author), de Wit, Sten (author), Prasanth, V. (author), Narayan, N.S. (author), Bauer, P. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

Solar road technology provides an opportunity to harvest the vast, albeit dispersed, photovoltaic (PV) energy, while maximizing the land utilization. Deriving experience from the pioneering 70-m solar bike path installed in the Netherlands, this paper highlights the operational challenges and performance parameters using the first-year...

journal article 2018

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Poly-crystalline silicon-oxide films as carrier-selective passivating contacts for c-Si solar cells

Yang, G. (author), Guo, Peiqing (author), Procel Moya, P.A. (author), Weeber, A.W. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

The poly-Si carrier-selective passivating contacts (CSPCs) parasitically absorb a substantial amount of light, especially in the form of free carrier absorption. To minimize these losses, we developed CSPCs based on oxygen-alloyed poly-Si (poly-SiO_x) and deployed them in c-Si solar cells. Transmission electron microscopy analysis...

journal article 2018

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Maximizing annual yield of bifacial photovoltaic noise barriers

Faturrochman, G.J. (author), de Jong, M.M. (author), Santbergen, R. (author), Folkerts, W. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

In this work we consider noise barriers with integrated photovoltaic modules. The novelty is that bifacial modules are considered. A full scale bifacial photovoltaic noise barrier was built and its power output was monitored. In addition we developed an advanced numerical model for predicting this power output for given weather conditions....

journal article 2018

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Advanced light management techniques for two-terminal hybrid tandem solar cells

Blanker, A.J. (author), Berendsen, P.P.A. (author), Phung, N. (author), Vroon, Z.E.A.P. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

Multi-junction solar cells are considered for various applications, as they tackle various loss mechanisms for single junction solar cells. These losses include thermalization and non-absorption below the band gap. In this work, a tandem configuration comprising copper-indium-gallium-di-selenide (CIGS) and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si...

journal article 2018

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Improving the Back Surface Field on an Amorphous Silicon Carbide Thin Film Photocathode for Solar Water Splitting

Perez Rodriguez, P. (author), Cardenas-Morcoso, Drialys (author), Digdaya, I.A. (author), Mangel Raventos, A. (author), Procel Moya, P.A. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Gimenez, Sixto (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smith, W.A. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

Amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) is a promising material for photoelectrochemical water splitting owing to its relatively small band-gap energy and high chemical and optoelectrical stability. This work studies the interplay between charge-carrier separation and collection, and their injection into the electrolyte, when modifying the...

journal article 2018

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Oxidation-Induced Structure Transformation: Thin-Film Synthesis and Interface Investigations of Barium Disilicide toward Potential Photovoltaic Applications

Tian, Y. (author), Vismara, R. (author), van Doorene, S. (author), Šutta, Pavol (author), Vančo, L’ubomír (author), Veselý, Marian (author), Vogrinčič, Peter (author), Isabella, O. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

Barium disilicide (BaSi2) has been regarded as a promising absorber material for high-efficiency thin-film solar cells. However, it has confronted issues related to material synthesis and quality control. Here, we fabricate BaSi2 thin films via an industrially applicable sputtering process and uncovered the mechanism of structure transformation....

journal article 2018

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Estimating battery lifetimes in Solar Home System design using a practical modelling methodology

Narayan, N.S. (author), Papakosta, Thekla (author), Vega Garita, V.E. (author), Qin, Z. (author), Popovic, J. (author), Bauer, P. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

The rapid increase in the adoption of Solar Home Systems (SHS) in recent times hopes to ameliorate the global problem of energy poverty. The battery is a vital but usually the most expensive part of an SHS; owing to the least lifetime among other SHS components, it is also the first to fail. Estimating battery lifetime is a critical task for...

journal article 2018