Basic research challenges in crystalline silicon photovoltaics
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Stuttgart (Germany)
Silicon is abundant, non-toxic and has an ideal band gap for photovoltaic energy conversion. Experimental world record cells of 24 % conversion efficiency with around 300 {mu}m thickness are only 4 % (absolute) efficiency points below the theoretical Auger recombination-limit of around 28 %. Compared with other photovoltaic materials, crystalline silicon has only very few disadvantages. The handicap of weak light absorbance may be mastered by clever optical designs. Single crystalline cells of only 48 {mu}m thickness showed 17.3 % efficiency even without backside reflectors. A technology of solar cells from polycrystalline Si films on foreign substrates arises at the horizon. However, the disadvantageous, strong activity of grain boundaries in Si could be an insurmountable hurdle for a cost-effective, terrestrial photovoltaics based on polycrystalline Si on foreign substrates. This talk discusses some basic research challenges related to a Si based photovoltaics.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 415120
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/SP-413-8250; CONF-9508143-Extd.Absts.; ON: DE95009278; TRN: 96:006512-0004
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 5. workshop on the role of impurities and defects in silicon device processing, Copper Mountain, CO (United States), 13-16 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: Aug 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Fifth workshop on the role of impurities and defects in silicon device processing. Extended abstracts; Sopori, B.L.; Luque, A.; Sopori, B.; Swanson, D.; Gee, J.; Kalejs, J.; Jastrzebski, L.; Tan, T.; PB: 160 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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