Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Basic Concepts
Materials and Device Structures
Technical Issues
System Design
Vbi Vbi
Ef Ef
Barrier Changes
• Equilibrium means there
is no net current
• Reduced barrier height is
called forward bias
(positive voltage applied to
p-side)
– Result- increases current
through diode
• Increased barrier height is
called reverse bias.
– Result- decreases current to
a very small amount..
Electric Currents in p-n
Junction Under External Bias
• Antireflection
coating (ARC) is
used to cover the
cell to minimize
light reflection
from top surface.
• ARC is made
with thin layer of
dielectric material.
Different Types of
Photovoltaic Solar Cells
Diffusion
Drift
Excitonic
Diffusion
• Dye molecule
– electron hole pair
splits because it
hits the dye
– the electron shifts
over to the electric
conductor and the
hole shifts to the
hole conductor
Power
Losses in
Solar Cells
Recombination
• Opposite of carrier generation, where
electron-hole pair is annihilated
• Most common at:
– impurities
– defects of crystal structure
– surface of semiconductor
• Reducing both voltage and current
Series Resistance
Silver
Stainless Steel Substrate
• PV powers stock
water pumps in
remote locations
in Wyoming
Examples of Stand Alone
PV Systems
• Communications facilities can be powered by
solar technologies, even in remote, rugged
terrain. Also, if a natural or human-caused
disaster disables the utility grid, solar
technologies can maintain power to critical
operations
Examples of Stand Alone
PV Systems
• This exhibit, dubbed
"Solar Independence", is
a 4-kW system used for
mobile emergency power.
• while the workhorse
batteries that can store up
to 51 kW-hrs of
electricity are housed in a
portable trailer behind the
flag.
• The system is the largest
mobile power unit ever
built
Examples of Stand Alone
PV Systems
• Smiling child
stands in front
of Tibetan
home that uses
20 W PV panel
for electricity
• PV panel on
rooftop of
rural residence
Hybrid PV System
Examples of Hybrid
PV Systems
• Ranching the
Sun project in
Hawaii
generates 175
kW of PVpower
and 50 kW of
wind power
from the five
Bergey 10 kW
wind turbines
Examples of Hybrid
PV Systems
• A fleet of small
turbines; PV
panels in the
foreground
Examples of Hybrid
PV Systems
• PV / diesel hybrid
power system - 12
kW PV array, 20 kW
diesel genset
• This system serves as
the master site for
the "top gun"
Tactical Air Combat
Training System
(TACTS) on the U.S.
Navy's Fallon Range.
Grid-Tied PV System
Examples of Grid Tied
Systems
• National Center
for Appropriate
Technology
Headquarters
Examples of Grid Tied
Systems
• The
world's
largest
residential
PV
project
Designing a PV System
1. Determine the load (energy, not power)
• You should think of the load as being supplied by the stored energy
device, usually the battery, and of the photovoltaic system as a
battery charger. Initial steps in the process include:
2. Calculating the battery size, if one is needed
3. Calculate the number of photovoltaic modules required
4. Assessing the need for any back-up energy of flexibility for
load growth