Related papers: UMG silicon for solar PV: from defects detection t…
UMG-Si has the potential to reduce the cost of PV technology and to improve its environmental profile. In this contribution, we summarize the extensive work made in the research and development of UMG technology for PV, which has led to the…
Solar grade silicon (SoG-Si) is a key material for the development of crystalline silicon photovoltaics (PV), which is expected to reach the tera-watt level in the next years and around 50TW in 2050. Upgraded metallurgical grade silicon…
High-quality multicrystalline Upgraded Metallurgical Grade Silicon (UMG-Si) offers significant advantages over conventional polysilicon-based PV technology, associated to lower cost, lower energy budget and lower carbon footprint. The aim…
Upgraded metallurgical grade (UMG) silicon (Si) has raised interest as an alternative material for solar cells due to its low cost, low environmental impact and low CAPEX. Maximum cell efficiencies at the level of those obtained from high…
Upgraded metallurgical-grade (UMG) Si is obtained via a purification route alternative to the one used for conventional polysilicon and with significantly reduced environmental impact. Additionally, despite a lower purity level in the…
We investigate and evaluate the contribution of the ultraviolet radiation spectrum on the temperature and efficiency of commercial crystalline silicon-based photovoltaics (PVs) that operate outdoors. The investigation is performed by…
Solar energy is rapidly becoming a robust renewable energy source to conventional finite resources such as fossil fuels. It is harvested using interconnected photovoltaic panels, typically built with crystalline silicon cells, i.e.…
Heterojunction Si solar cells exhibit notable performance degradation. We developed the SolDeg platform to model this degradation as electronic defects getting generated by thermal activation across energy barriers over time. First,…
Experimental evidence indicating the beneficial impact of a phosphorous diffusion gettering (PDG) in the reduction of trapping centers is shown, as observed by means of inductively coupled photoconductance (PC) decay and lifetime…
The economic value of a photovoltaic installation depends upon both its lifetime and power conversion efficiency. Progress towards the latter includes mechanisms to circumvent the Shockley- Queisser limit, such as tandem designs and…
Among several solutions to exploit solar energy, thermophotovoltaics (TPV) have been popularized and have known great breakthroughs during the past two decades. Yet, existing systems still have low efficiencies since the wavelength range of…
The cover glass in a silicon solar panel accounts for about 2/3 of the device's weight. Recycling these devices at their end-of-life is fundamental to reducing the industry's environmental impact. Here we investigate the recovery of these…
Since the photoconversion efficiency $\eta$ of the silicon-based solar cells (SCs) under laboratory conditions is approaching the theoretical fundamental limit, further improvement of their performance requires theoretical modeling and/or…
The uncertainties associated with technology- and geography-specific degradation rates make it difficult to calculate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and thus the economic viability of solar energy. In this regard, millions of fielded…
Solution-processed amorphous silicon is a promising material for semiconductor devices. Unfortunately, its manufacturing leaves a high density of defects in the layer, which can be reduced by a treatment with hydrogen radicals. Here, we…
It is currently possible to fabricate crystalline silicon solar cells with the absorber thickness ranging from a few hundreds of micrometers (conventional wafer-based cells) to devices as thin as $1\,\mu\mathrm{m}$. In this work, we use a…
We provide the first systematic characterization of the structural and photoluminescence properties of optically active defect centers fabricated upon implantation of 30-100 keV Mg+ ions in artificial diamond. The structural configurations…
Among silicon-based solar cells, heterojunction cells hold the world efficiency record. However, their market acceptance is hindered by an initial 0.5\% per year degradation of their open circuit voltage which doubles the overall cell…
Adopting thin Si wafers for PV reduces capital expenditure (capex) and manufacturing cost, and accelerates the growth of PV manufacturing. There are two key questions about thin Si today: (a) how much can we still benefit economically from…
Solution-processed, lead halide-based perovskite solar cells have overcome important challenges over the recent years, offering low-cost and high solar power conversion efficiencies. However, they still undergo unoptimized light collection…