UPC Creates Solar Cells with Record Energy Performance of 22%
June 4, 2015 | Universitat Politècnica de CatalunyaEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Researchers at the Department of Electronic Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) have obtained a record efficiency of 22% by creating silicon solar cells that incorporate a surface treatment called black silicon on the front of the cell. This technique nanostructures the surface with a dry chemical attack that results in small conical tips at the nanometric scale.
Incorporating black silicon reduces the loss of energy caused by the reflectance of solar cells to almost zero. This significantly increases the yield, by almost 4% compared with traditional solar cells. In fact, it is called black silicon because, at first glance, the treated surface is black (and does not reflect light), whereas standard cells are blue. This extra improvement in efficiency would allow a refrigerator, for example, to run for a day in a photovoltaic system composed of a 5 m2 panel.
Solar cells are the main element of solar panels, which are installed to capture sunlight and produce electricity from it. Generally, to ensure that they reflect as little light as possible and thus prevent energy loss, solar cells are textured using an alkaline bath that forms a rough surface on which pyramids are randomly distributed. This technique makes the cells thicker because it consumes a significant amount of silicon in the process. Black silicon, however, allows very thin silicon cells to be used, lowering production costs and saving silicon.
An added advantage achieved by researchers from the UPC and Aalto University in Finland is that, given the ability of black cells to capture solar radiation from lower angles, more electricity can be generated during a longer period throughout the day compared with traditional cells. In Finland this feature is very important, because the sun shines from a low angle for most of the year and it has been demonstrated that cells made with black silicon generate more electricity than traditional cells that have the same degree of efficiency.
According to the UPC researcher Pablo Ortega, "within about three to four years it will be feasible to apply black silicon in the solar panel industry and the market in general."
Suggested Items
NASA, Japan Advance Space Cooperation, Sign Agreement for Lunar Rover
04/11/2024 | NASANASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Masahito Moriyama have signed an agreement to advance sustainable human exploration of the Moon.
Lockheed Martin Conducts Historic LRASM Flight Test
04/04/2024 | Lockheed MartinThe U.S. Navy in partnership with Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] successfully conducted a historic Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) flight test with four missiles simultaneously in flight.
Ynvisible Appoints Felix Karlsson as Director
04/02/2024 | Ynvisible Interactive Inc.Ynvisible Interactive Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Felix Karlsson as a Director of the Company effective immediately.
Plasmatreat at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
04/02/2024 | PlasmatreatFor the pretreatment of highly sensitive electronic components, Plasmatreat will present a real innovation at the IPC APEX Expo in Anaheim 2024: The new REDOX tool safely and effectively reduces oxide layers on electronic components in an inline process.
NASA Selects First Lunar Instruments for Artemis Astronaut Deployment
03/27/2024 | NASANASA has chosen the first science instruments designed for astronauts to deploy on the surface of the Moon during Artemis III. Once installed near the lunar South Pole, the three instruments will collect valuable scientific data about the lunar environment, the lunar interior, and how to sustain a long-duration human presence on the Moon, which will help prepare NASA to send astronauts to Mars.