Advances in solar cell research

Solarbe is from iSuppli; as the global demand for solar energy is increasing, there is a shortage of polysilicon, which is the material used in manufacturing photovoltaic cells. This has forced photovoltaic cell suppliers around the world to restructure their business models and seek new alternative materials. Profits from global photovoltaic cells are expected to grow from $9.6 billion in 2007 to $22.1 billion by 2012. By 2020, photovoltaic cells capable of delivering 50,000 MWp (million watts) each year will have been installed. This figure is 20 times higher than the 2,538 MWp in 2007. MWp is a unit used to calculate the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. However, market growth is bound to go through a period of difficulties, especially when raw material shortages affect supply. The production capacity of the global photovoltaic industry far exceeds the amount currently supplied. However, due to insufficient polysilicon production, the manufacturing capacity of the photovoltaic industry cannot be fully utilized. Dr. Wicht of iSuppli, who studies photovoltaic cells and microelectromechanical sensing systems, noted that insufficient production of polysilicon can lead to rising prices. This makes it extremely difficult for manufacturers aiming to increase photovoltaic cell production to obtain silicon at low prices. Wicht also said that manufacturers of photovoltaic cells must first pay 10% to 20% of the product price to polysilicon suppliers to ensure a steady supply of raw materials. This also makes cost control in the photovoltaic cell industry quite important. The shortage of raw materials and rising costs have forced the optoelectronics industry to adopt a vertically integrated production model. The photovoltaic cell industry is attempting to bring the production of polysilicon under its control as well. A good example is the joint venture between the chemical company Degussa AG and the photovoltaic cell manufacturer solarWorld AG to produce the silicon needed for solar cells. In addition, Q-Cells AG, the manufacturer of solar cells, has also partnered with many companies to ensure a supply of polysilicon as a raw material. The shortage of silicon has also led to significant advancements in thin-film technology, as this technology can be used as a material for photovoltaic cells. Since thin-film technology can be widely applied in the production of photovoltaic cells, it can replace the function of traditional silicon chips. For this reason, many silicon chip manufacturers, in addition to continuing to improve their core operations, have also begun investing in the development of new thin-film technologies. This will result in profits from thin-film technology accounting for 20% of the photovoltaic cell market by 2007. In 2005, however, profits from thin-film technology accounted for only 5%. In total, the profit growth rate of thin-film technology between 2007 and 2010 is expected to reach 70%. Due to the continuous surge in polysilicon prices, solar companies intend to cut costs associated with photovoltaic systems. Companies like Q-Cells decided to cut their expenses by 50% between 2007 and 2010. Research firms have pointed out that cost savings are needed across the entire supply chain of photovoltaic systems, including polysilicon, wafers, chips, modules, and the complete systems.

According to a recent report on a foreign website, Singaporean scientists placed a novel nanoscale structure (thousands of times smaller than a human hair) on the surface of solar cells made from amorphous silicon, thereby developing a new type of thin-film solar cell with high conversion efficiency and low cost. Scientists believe that the latest technology holds the potential to cut the manufacturing cost of solar cells in half. $ a) P% i& s/ Q4 m 7 ^# ` But such batteries have a low efficiency in converting sunlight into electricity; therefore, scientists have used nanotechnology to create a unique nanostructure on the surface of amorphous silicon solar cells, thereby improving the conversion efficiency of these thin-film silicon cells and increasing their energy output. The current generated by the new nanoscale silicon thin-film solar cells is 34.3 milliamps per square centimeter, which is comparable to the output current of conventional cells (40 milliamps per square centimeter). ! o) f: j/ ?2 ~: ~$ B+ n Navah Sin, a senior researcher at the Singapore Institute of Microelectronics and the leader of this research project, said: “The new nanotechnology approach has enabled these thin-film solar cells to achieve the highest short-circuit current density ever recorded, as well as a conversion efficiency of 5.26%.” ” However, the conversion efficiency of conventional crystalline silicon cells is 20% to 25%. Nava Sin believes that since the short-circuit current density is directly related to the conversion efficiency, by continuously improving the fill factor and increasing the voltage at which open-circuit current occurs, the conversion efficiency of such silicon thin-film solar cells can ultimately be raised to levels comparable to those of crystalline silicon solar cells. Next, they will focus on exploring other light-catching strategies, such as using surface plasmon photonics techniques to capture light.

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