Photovoltaics-The Engineering, Technology and
Application of Solar Cells (2-Days)
This is a two-day course but either day can be taken separately as desired.
However, a review of the first day material is not provided during the second
day.
Course Objectives:
- Understand the basic operation of photovoltaics (solar cells)
- Gain an understanding of the state of the art and current
primary research focuses in all common and emerging photovoltaic
technologies
- Learn how solar cell operation is modeled to diagnose and optimize devices
- Gain an overview of methods to produce solar cells and
some of the problems and solutions in manufacturing the devices
- Understand how photovoltaics fit in to future energy
generation schemes
- Learn the general aspects of how solar cell materials and devices are
characterized
Course Description -- Day 1: Fundamentals
The first day introduces the broad aspects of photoelectric solar cells,
properly known as photovoltaics (or PV for short). The basic issues related to
energy and how PV fits into the potential generating technologies are reviewed
briefly and examples of actual installations are given. A description of how
PV power systems are designed is included. A general introduction to the
electrical and optical theory of the devices is provided including analysis of
ideal and non-ideal device performance, reflection, transmission, carrier
generation, and other aspects of the optical properties. Consideration will
include issues related to transparent contacts, antireflection coatings, and
tunnel junctions for connection in multilayer devices. Students will be
introduced to the AMPS and SCAPS modeling tools and useful spreadsheet-based
approaches to modeling the devices. A brief overview of the physics of
semiconductor defects will be presented and how defects affect solar cell
performance will be included.
Different PV technologies are reviewed including concentrating and
non-concentrating systems, single and multijunction devices, thin film and
bulk devices, thermophotovoltaics, and novel concepts such as
photoelectrochemical cells, organic PV, and quantum dot structures. Inorganic
polycrystalline thin film technologies considered will include amorphous Si,
CdTe, and CuInSe2 and related compounds. Multijunction high-efficiency
concentrator design will also be discussed. The current status of each of
these technologies and some of the issues and potential limitations to them
are discussed. Persons planning to develop a research program in PV and
wishing to familiarize themselves with the field should find this section of
the course a useful basis upon which to plan their program.
If time permits on the first day a case study of expected daily power
production in the central U.S. (central Illinois specifically) will be
presented. This illustrates the variations with time of day and sun/clouds.
The example includes a discussion of how to project the levellized cost of
ownership of the system per kWh of power produced. Some discussion of
subsidies and other issues related to the evaluation of system cost will be
given.
Course Description -- Day 2: Manufacturing and Characterization
Selected topics related to the manufacture of the devices will be presented
including a review of detailed examples, as available. Students should realize
that information proprietary to individual manufacturers can not be disclosed
so the presentation is general with specific examples and case studies from
individual manufacturers available as those organizations have been willing to
share information in a public forum.
Deposition techniques discussed will include Czochralsky crystal growth,
casting and other specialized bulk Si growth techniques, evaporation,
closed-space sublimation, solid-phase reaction, sputtering, and others. Case
studies in issues related to the manufacture of two thin film technologies,
a-Si and CuInSe2 will be discussed as examples. Cost, market, materials
availability, and yield issues will be considered. The course will also
discuss space-based vs. terrestrial applications and options and issues
related to flexible PV technologies.
The remainder of the second day will be devoted to characterization of PV
devices including the application of microchemical, microstructural, optical,
and electronic methods. Descriptions of the basic operating principles of each
technique will be provided along with a discussion of how that technique is
used in characterizing PV devices. Examples of results will be provided for
each technique. More extensive topics related to specific technologies and
issues will be provided on a question-and-answer basis.
Who should attend?
Students, scientists and engineers with little or no experience in
photovoltaics. Those with a history of work in the field will also profit from
the descriptions of device modeling and the range of approaches used. They
will also get a sense of the current state of the art across all technologies.
The course is not currently designed to educate system installers because that
is a topic for an electrician and is relatively generic. System installers may
gain some useful background concerning the devices they are installing.
Questions concerning practical installation of systems can be answered but
students should not expect to come away prepared to install their own system.
Instructor:
Angus Rockett, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, University of
Illinois.
Course Materials:
Course Notes
Cost: $575 (Day one)/$850 (Both days)
