Showing papers on "Photovoltaic system published in 2019"
TL;DR: The fundamentals, recent research progress, present status, and views on future prospects of perovskite-based photovoltaics, with discussions focused on strategies to improve both intrinsic and extrinsic (environmental) stabilities of high-efficiency devices are described.
Abstract: The photovoltaics of organic–inorganic lead halide perovskite materials have shown rapid improvements in solar cell performance, surpassing the top efficiency of semiconductor compounds such as CdTe and CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) used in solar cells in just about a decade. Perovskite preparation via simple and inexpensive solution processes demonstrates the immense potential of this thin-film solar cell technology to become a low-cost alternative to the presently commercially available photovoltaic technologies. Significant developments in almost all aspects of perovskite solar cells and discoveries of some fascinating properties of such hybrid perovskites have been made recently. This Review describes the fundamentals, recent research progress, present status, and our views on future prospects of perovskite-based photovoltaics, with discussions focused on strategies to improve both intrinsic and extrinsic (environmental) stabilities of high-efficiency devices. Strategies and challenges regardi...
1,720 citations
TL;DR: Critically compare the different types of photovoltaic technologies, analyse the performance of the different cells and appraise possibilities for future technological progress.
Abstract: The remarkable development in photovoltaic (PV) technologies over the past 5 years calls for a renewed assessment of their performance and potential for future progress. Here, we analyse the progress in cells and modules based on single-crystalline GaAs, Si, GaInP and InP, multicrystalline Si as well as thin films of polycrystalline CdTe and CuInxGa1−xSe2. In addition, we analyse the PV developments of the more recently emerged lead halide perovskites together with notable improvements in sustainable chalcogenides, organic PVs and quantum dots technologies. In addition to power conversion efficiencies, we consider many of the factors that affect power output for each cell type and note improvements in control over the optoelectronic quality of PV-relevant materials and interfaces and the discovery of new material properties. By comparing PV cell parameters across technologies, we appraise how far each technology may progress in the near future. Although accurate or revolutionary developments cannot be predicted, cross-fertilization between technologies often occurs, making achievements in one cell type an indicator of evolutionary developments in others. This knowledge transfer is timely, as the development of metal halide perovskites is helping to unite previously disparate, technology-focused strands of PV research. Nearly all types of solar photovoltaic cells and technologies have developed dramatically, especially in the past 5 years. Here, we critically compare the different types of photovoltaic technologies, analyse the performance of the different cells and appraise possibilities for future technological progress.
638 citations
TL;DR: Lin et al. as discussed by the authors used metallic tin to prevent oxidation in mixed Pb-Sn narrowbandgap perovskites to reduce the Sn4+ (an oxidation product of Sn2+) to Sn2+ via a comproportionation reaction.
Abstract: Combining wide-bandgap and narrow-bandgap perovskites to construct monolithic all-perovskite tandem solar cells offers avenues for continued increases in photovoltaic (PV) power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). However, actual efficiencies today are diminished by the subpar performance of narrow-bandgap subcells. Here we report a strategy to reduce Sn vacancies in mixed Pb–Sn narrow-bandgap perovskites that use metallic tin to reduce the Sn4+ (an oxidation product of Sn2+) to Sn2+ via a comproportionation reaction. We increase, thereby, the charge-carrier diffusion length in narrow-bandgap perovskites to 3 μm for the best materials. We obtain a PCE of 21.1% for 1.22-eV narrow-bandgap solar cells. We fabricate monolithic all-perovskite tandem cells with certified PCEs of 24.8% for small-area devices (0.049 cm2) and of 22.1% for large-area devices (1.05 cm2). The tandem cells retain 90% of their performance following 463 h of operation at the maximum power point under full 1-sun illumination. Improvements in the efficiency and stability of low-bandgap perovskite solar cells are key to enabling all-perovskite solar cells. Here, Lin et al. use metallic tin to prevent oxidation in such low-gap perovskite and demonstrate 24.8%-efficient tandems that are stable for over 400 h under operating conditions.
634 citations
TL;DR: The use of long short-term memory recurrent neural network (LSTM-RNN) to accurately forecast the output power of PV systems and offers a further reduction in the forecasting error compared with the other methods.
Abstract: Photovoltaic (PV) is one of the most promising renewable energy sources. To ensure secure operation and economic integration of PV in smart grids, accurate forecasting of PV power is an important issue. In this paper, we propose the use of long short-term memory recurrent neural network (LSTM-RNN) to accurately forecast the output power of PV systems. The LSTM networks can model the temporal changes in PV output power because of their recurrent architecture and memory units. The proposed method is evaluated using hourly datasets of different sites for a year. We compare the proposed method with three PV forecasting methods. The use of LSTM offers a further reduction in the forecasting error compared with the other methods. The proposed forecasting method can be a helpful tool for planning and controlling smart grids.
443 citations
TL;DR: Antimony selenide is a promising thin film solar cell absorber material in which grain orientation is crucial for high device performance, and here Li et al. grow the material in nanorod arrays along the [001] direction and obtain record high efficiency.
Abstract: Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) has a one-dimensional (1D) crystal structure comprising of covalently bonded (Sb4Se6)n ribbons stacking together through van der Waals force. This special structure results in anisotropic optical and electrical properties. Currently, the photovoltaic device performance is dominated by the grain orientation in the Sb2Se3 thin film absorbers. Effective approaches to enhance the carrier collection and overall power-conversion efficiency are urgently required. Here, we report the construction of Sb2Se3 solar cells with high-quality Sb2Se3 nanorod arrays absorber along the [001] direction, which is beneficial for sun-light absorption and charge carrier extraction. An efficiency of 9.2%, which is the highest value reported so far for this type of solar cells, is achieved by junction interface engineering. Our cell design provides an approach to further improve the efficiency of Sb2Se3-based solar cells.
434 citations
TL;DR: An attempt has been made to scrutinize the applications of artificial neural network (ANN) as an intelligent system-based method for optimizing and the prediction of different solar energy devices’ performance.
389 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors model seven scenarios for the European power system in 2050 based on 100% renewable energy sources, assuming different levels of future demand and technology availability, and compare them with a scenario which includes low-carbon non-renewable technologies.
374 citations
TL;DR: 15% efficiency solar cells using copolymerization donors are demonstrated, where the electron-withdrawing unit, ester-substituted thiophene, is incorporated into a PBDB-TF polymer to downshift the molecular energy and broaden the absorption.
Abstract: Ternary blending and copolymerization strategies have proven advantageous in boosting the photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells. Here, 15% efficiency solar cells using copolymerization donors are demonstrated, where the electron-withdrawing unit, ester-substituted thiophene, is incorporated into a PBDB-TF polymer to downshift the molecular energy and broaden the absorption. Copolymer-based solar cells suitable for large-area devices can be fabricated by a blade-coating method from a nonhalogen and nonaromatic solvent mixture. Although ternary solar cells can achieve comparable efficiencies, they are not suitable for environment-friendly processing conditions and show relatively low photostability compared to copolymer-based devices. These results not only demonstrate high-efficiency organic photovoltaic cells via copolymerization strategies but also provide important insights into their applications in practical production.
371 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed to use organic photovoltaic cells to drive low power consumption off-grid electronics for indoor applications, but their power conversion efficiency is limited by relat...
Abstract: Organic photovoltaic cells are potential candidates to drive low power consumption off-grid electronics for indoor applications. However, their power conversion efficiency is still limited by relat ...
347 citations
TL;DR: A novel overall distribution MPPT algorithm to rapidly search the area near the global maximum power points, which is further integrated with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) MPPT algorithms to improve the accuracy of MPPT.
Abstract: Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems under partial shading conditions (PSCs) have a nonmonotonic P – V characteristic with multiple local maximum power points, which makes the existing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms unsatisfactory performance for global MPPT, if not invalid. This paper proposes a novel overall distribution (OD) MPPT algorithm to rapidly search the area near the global maximum power points, which is further integrated with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) MPPT algorithm to improve the accuracy of MPPT. Through simulations and experimentations, the higher effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed OD-PSO MPPT algorithm in solar PV systems is demonstrated in comparison to two existing artificial intelligence MPPT algorithms.
345 citations
TL;DR: The impressive photovoltaic devices results achieved by some of important classes of conjugated polymer systems in non-fullerene organic solar cells are shown and the molecular design strategies as far as developing matching polymer donors for non- fullerene acceptors are discussed.
Abstract: Over the past few years, non-fullerene organic solar cells have been a focus of research and their power conversion efficiencies have been improved dramatically from about 6 % to over 14 % In addition to innovations in non-fullerene acceptors, the ongoing development of polymer donors has contributed significantly to the rapid progress of non-fullerene organic solar cell performance This Minireview highlights the polymer donors that enable high-performance non-fullerene organic solar cells We show the impressive photovoltaic devices results achieved by some of important classes of conjugated polymer systems in non-fullerene organic solar cells We discuss the molecular design strategies as far as developing matching polymer donors for non-fullerene acceptors We conclude with a brief summary and outlook for advances in donor polymers required for commercialization
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of the third component on the nanomorphology of the bulk heterojunction and the photovoltaic parameters of ternary organic solar cells is analyzed.
Abstract: Ternary organic solar cells (TSCs) contain a single three-component photoactive layer with a wide absorption window, which is obtained without the need for multiple stacks. Subsequently, TSCs have attracted great interest in the photovoltaics field. Through careful selection of the three (or more) active components that form the photoactive layer, all photovoltaic parameters can be simultaneously enhanced within a TSC — a strategy that has resulted in record efficiencies for single-junction solar cells. In this Review, we outline key developments in TSCs, with a focus on the central role of the third component in achieving record efficiencies. We analyse the effects of the third component on the nanomorphology of the bulk heterojunction and the photovoltaic parameters of TSCs. Moreover, we discuss the charge-transfer and/or energy-transfer mechanisms and nanomorphology models that govern the operation of TSCs. We consider both polymer and small-molecule donors as well as fullerenes and recently developed non-fullerene acceptors. In addition, we summarize the recent success of TSCs in mitigating the stability issues of binary solar cells. Finally, we provide a perspective on the advantages of ternary blends and suggest design strategies for highly efficient and stable devices for commercial photovoltaics. Adding a third component into a binary blend is a promising strategy for simultaneously improving all photovoltaic parameters in organic solar cells. In this Review, we discuss the role of the third component in influencing the energetics, charge-carrier recombination and stability in ternary solar cells.
TL;DR: De Wolf et al. as mentioned in this paper reviewed the fundamental physical processes governing contact formation in crystalline silicon (c-Si) and identified the role passivating contacts play in increasing c-Si solar cell efficiencies beyond the limitations imposed by heavy doping and direct metallization.
Abstract: The global photovoltaic (PV) market is dominated by crystalline silicon (c-Si) based technologies with heavily doped, directly metallized contacts. Recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes at the contact regions is increasingly constraining the power conversion efficiencies of these devices as other performance-limiting energy losses are overcome. To move forward, c-Si PV technologies must implement alternative contacting approaches. Passivating contacts, which incorporate thin films within the contact structure that simultaneously supress recombination and promote charge-carrier selectivity, are a promising next step for the mainstream c-Si PV industry. In this work, we review the fundamental physical processes governing contact formation in c-Si. In doing so we identify the role passivating contacts play in increasing c-Si solar cell efficiencies beyond the limitations imposed by heavy doping and direct metallization. Strategies towards the implementation of passivating contacts in industrial environments are discussed. The development of passivating contacts holds great potential for enhancing the power conversion efficiency of silicon photovoltaics. Here, De Wolf et al. review recent advances in material design and device architecture, and discuss technical challenges to industrial fabrication.
TL;DR: In this article, the most recent developments in photovoltaic powered reverse osmosis (PV-RO), solar thermal powered reverse Osmosis(ST-RO) and solar stills are discussed with respect to membrane materials, process configuration, energy recovery devices and energy storage.
TL;DR: A future with ∼10 TW of PV by 2030 and 30 to 70 TW by 2050 is envisioned, providing a majority of global energy, and what is needed in research in PV performance, reliability, manufacturing, and recycling is summarized.
Abstract: Solar energy has the potential to play a central role in the future global energy system because of the scale of the solar resource, its predictability, and its ubiquitous nature. Global installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity exceeded 500 GW at the end of 2018, and an estimated additional 500 GW of PV capacity is projected to be installed by 2022–2023, bringing us into the era of TW-scale PV. Given the speed of change in the PV industry, both in terms of continued dramatic cost decreases and manufacturing-scale increases, the growth toward TW-scale PV has caught many observers, including many of us (1), by surprise. Two years ago, we focused on the challenges of achieving 3 to 10 TW of PV by 2030. Here, we envision a future with ∼10 TW of PV by 2030 and 30 to 70 TW by 2050, providing a majority of global energy. PV would be not just a key contributor to electricity generation but also a central contributor to all segments of the global energy system. We discuss ramifications and challenges for complementary technologies (e.g., energy storage, power to gas/liquid fuels/chemicals, grid integration, and multiple sector electrification) and summarize what is needed in research in PV performance, reliability, manufacturing, and recycling.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that STD cannot compete with photovoltaic reverse osmosis desalination in energy efficiency and the importance of factors other than energy efficiency, including cost, ease of maintenance, and applicability to hypersaline waters is emphasized.
Abstract: Solar-thermal desalination (STD) is a potentially low-cost, sustainable approach for providing high-quality fresh water in the absence of water and energy infrastructures. Despite recent efforts to advance STD by improving heat-absorbing materials and system designs, the best strategies for maximizing STD performance remain uncertain. To address this problem, we identify three major steps in distillation-based STD: (i) light-to-heat energy conversion, (ii) thermal vapor generation, and (iii) conversion of vapor to water via condensation. Using specific water productivity as a quantitative metric for energy efficiency, we show that efficient recovery of the latent heat of condensation is critical for STD performance enhancement, because solar vapor generation has already been pushed toward its performance limit. We also demonstrate that STD cannot compete with photovoltaic reverse osmosis desalination in energy efficiency. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of factors other than energy efficiency, including cost, ease of maintenance, and applicability to hypersaline waters.
01 Sep 2019
TL;DR: In this article, a hybrid of colocated agriculture and solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure is investigated to solve the problem of building resilience in renewable energy and food production.
Abstract: The vulnerabilities of our food, energy and water systems to projected climatic change make building resilience in renewable energy and food production a fundamental challenge. We investigate a novel approach to solve this problem by creating a hybrid of colocated agriculture and solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure. We take an integrative approach—monitoring microclimatic conditions, PV panel temperature, soil moisture and irrigation water use, plant ecophysiological function and plant biomass production within this ‘agrivoltaics’ ecosystem and in traditional PV installations and agricultural settings to quantify trade-offs. We find that shading by the PV panels provides multiple additive and synergistic benefits, including reduced plant drought stress, greater food production and reduced PV panel heat stress. The results presented here provide a foundation and motivation for future explorations towards the resilience of food and energy systems under the future projected increased environmental stress involving heat and drought. Agrivoltaics can achieve synergistic benefits by growing agricultural plants under raised solar panels. In this article, the authors showed that growth under solar panels reduced tomato and pepper drought stress and increased production, while simultaneously reducing photovoltaic panel heat stress.
TL;DR: The results showed that when the input sequence is increased, the accuracy of the model is improved, and the prediction effect of the hybrid model is the best, followed by that of convolutional neural network.
TL;DR: An overview of this burgeoning field focusing on the technical challenges that remain to create energy autonomous sensors at viable price points and to overcome the commercial challenges for individual photovoltaic technologies to accelerate their market adoption is provided.
TL;DR: In this paper, the performance of all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) is further developed to a benchmark value of 11% by manipulating the BHJ morphology using a green solvent system based on cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME).
Abstract: Advances in organic photovoltaic technologies have always been closely associated with a deeper understanding of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) microstructure morphology, which is generally governed by the ink-formulation based on a single solvent or solvent mixtures. The relatively slow progress in all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) is mainly due to the significant difficulty in mastering their intricate BHJ morphology dealing with entanglements of polymer chains, limiting their performance typically to 8–10%. In this work, we demonstrate that the performance of all-PSCs can be further developed to a benchmark value of 11% by manipulating the BHJ morphology using a green solvent system based on cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME). The generic applicability of the superior ink-formulation is successfully validated in four different all-polymer solar cells, exhibiting great promise of advancing all-PSCs towards industrial production and commercialization.
01 Jan 2019
TL;DR: The photovoltaic conversion of solar energy starts to give an appreciable contribution to power generation in many countries, with more than 90% of the global PV market relying on solar cells base.
Abstract: Photovoltaic (PV) conversion of solar energy starts to give an appreciable contribution to power generation in many countries, with more than 90% of the global PV market relying on solar cells base...
TL;DR: Comparative and statistical results demonstrate that PGJAYA has a superior performance as it always obtains the most accurate parameters with strong robustness among all compared algorithms.
TL;DR: A comprehensive review on the current state-of-the-art of 2D-materials-based solar photovoltaics is presented here so that the recent advances of2D materials for solar cells can be employed for formulating the future roadmap of various photov Holtaic technologies.
Abstract: 2D materials have attracted considerable attention due to their exciting optical and electronic properties, and demonstrate immense potential for next-generation solar cells and other optoelectronic devices With the scaling trends in photovoltaics moving toward thinner active materials, the atomically thin bodies and high flexibility of 2D materials make them the obvious choice for integration with future-generation photovoltaic technology Not only can graphene, with its high transparency and conductivity, be used as the electrodes in solar cells, but also its ambipolar electrical transport enables it to serve as both the anode and the cathode 2D materials beyond graphene, such as transition-metal dichalcogenides, are direct-bandgap semiconductors at the monolayer level, and they can be used as the active layer in ultrathin flexible solar cells However, since no 2D material has been featured in the roadmap of standard photovoltaic technologies, a proper synergy is still lacking between the recently growing 2D community and the conventional solar community A comprehensive review on the current state-of-the-art of 2D-materials-based solar photovoltaics is presented here so that the recent advances of 2D materials for solar cells can be employed for formulating the future roadmap of various photovoltaic technologies
TL;DR: A systematic and critical review on the methods used to forecast PV power output with main focus on the metaheuristic and machine learning methods to assist researchers in choosing the best forecasting technique for future research.
Abstract: The modernisation of the world has significantly reduced the prime sources of energy such as coal, diesel and gas. Thus, alternative energy sources based on renewable energy have been a major focus nowadays to meet the world's energy demand and at the same time to reduce global warming. Among these energy sources, solar energy is a major source of alternative energy that is used to generate electricity through photovoltaic (PV) system. However, the performance of the power generated is highly sensitive on climate and seasonal factors. The unpredictable behaviour of the climate affects the power output and causes an unfavourable impact on the stability, reliability and operation of the grid. Thus an accurate forecasting of PV output is a crucial requirement to ensure the stability and reliability of the grid. This study provides a systematic and critical review on the methods used to forecast PV power output with main focus on the metaheuristic and machine learning methods. Advantages and disadvantages of each method are summarised, based on historical data along with forecasting horizons and input parameters. Finally, a comprehensive comparison between machine learning and metaheuristic methods is compiled to assist researchers in choosing the best forecasting technique for future research.
TL;DR: A detailed model of the charging process that considers the arrival time and state of charge of electric vehicles and a genetic algorithm optimizes the installation and operation of the EV fast-charging station shows that a mix of renewable energies and storage systems attains the best cost efficient solution.
TL;DR: This paper reviews the inertia concept in terms of values and their evolution in the last decades, as well as the damping factor values.
Abstract: Traditionally, inertia in power systems has been determined by considering all the rotating masses directly connected to the grid. During the last decade, the integration of renewable energy sources, mainly photovoltaic installations and wind power plants, has led to a significant dynamic characteristic change in power systems. This change is mainly due to the fact that most renewables have power electronics at the grid interface. The overall impact on stability and reliability analysis of power systems is very significant. The power systems become more dynamic and require a new set of strategies modifying traditional generation control algorithms. Indeed, renewable generation units are decoupled from the grid by electronic converters, decreasing the overall inertia of the grid. ‘Hidden inertia’, ‘synthetic inertia’ or ‘virtual inertia’ are terms currently used to represent artificial inertia created by converter control of the renewable sources. Alternative spinning reserves are then needed in the new power system with high penetration renewables, where the lack of rotating masses directly connected to the grid must be emulated to maintain an acceptable power system reliability. This paper reviews the inertia concept in terms of values and their evolution in the last decades, as well as the damping factor values. A comparison of the rotational grid inertia for traditional and current averaged generation mix scenarios is also carried out. In addition, an extensive discussion on wind and photovoltaic power plants and their contributions to inertia in terms of frequency control strategies is included in the paper.
TL;DR: A membrane-distillation device that exploits sunlight and the heat dissipated by an integrated solar cell unit, enabling simultaneous efficient production of electricity and drinkable water is developed.
Abstract: The energy shortage and clean water scarcity are two key challenges for global sustainable development. Near half of the total global water withdrawals is consumed by power generation plants while water desalination consumes lots of electricity. Here, we demonstrate a photovoltaics-membrane distillation (PV-MD) device that can stably produce clean water (>1.64 kg·m−2·h−1) from seawater while simultaneously having uncompromised electricity generation performance (>11%) under one Sun irradiation. Its high clean water production rate is realized by constructing multi stage membrane distillation (MSMD) device at the backside of the solar cell to recycle the latent heat of water vapor condensation in each distillation stage. This composite device can significantly reduce capital investment costs by sharing the same land and the same mounting system and thus represents a potential possibility to transform an electricity power plant from otherwise a water consumer to a fresh water producer. The increasing demand for energy and clean water has become a grand global challenge. Here the authors develop a membrane-distillation device that exploits sunlight and the heat dissipated by an integrated solar cell unit, enabling simultaneous efficient production of electricity and drinkable water.
TL;DR: In recent years, China has become not just a large producer but a major market for solar photovoltaics (PV), increasing interest in solar electricity prices in China as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In recent years, China has become not just a large producer but a major market for solar photovoltaics (PV), increasing interest in solar electricity prices in China. The cost of solar PV electrici ...
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive summary of recent representative progress in the applications of MOFs in solar cell devices, including dye-sensitized solar cells, organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells and organic solar cells is presented.
Abstract: Metal–organic framework (MOF) materials have achieved significant research interest in the fields of gas storage and separation over the last two decades because of the need for hydrogen utilization and carbon dioxide reduction. Besides, recently numerous functional MOFs have been exploited and applied in the optoelectronic field owing to some unique properties of MOF materials in those photovoltaic devices with enhanced performance and stability. This review focuses on the comprehensive summary of recent representative progress in the applications of MOFs in solar cell devices, including dye-sensitized solar cells, organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells, and organic solar cells, aiming to portray their prospects in the future.
TL;DR: This report summarizes recent significant progress in the development of hybrid nanogenerators for a sustainable energy harvesting system that use natural and artificial energies such as solar, wind, wave, heat, machine vibration, and automobile noise.
Abstract: Recently, sustainable green energy harvesting systems have been receiving great attention for their potential use in self-powered smart wireless sensor network (WSN) systems. In particular, though the developed WSN systems are able to advance public good, very high and long-term budgets will be required in order to use them to supply electrical energy through temporary batteries or connecting power cables. This report summarizes recent significant progress in the development of hybrid nanogenerators for a sustainable energy harvesting system that use natural and artificial energies such as solar, wind, wave, heat, machine vibration, and automobile noise. It starts with a brief introduction of energy harvesting systems, and then summarizes the different hybrid energy harvesting systems: integration of mechanical and photovoltaic energy harvesters, integration of mechanical and thermal energy harvesters, integration of thermal and photovoltaic energy harvesters, and others. In terms of the reported hybrid nanogenerators, a systematic summary of their structures, working mechanisms, and output performances is provided. Specifically, electromagnetic induction, triboelectric, piezoelectric, photovoltaic, thermoelectric, and pyroelectric effects are reviewed on the basis of the individual and hybrid power performances of hybrid nanogenerators and their practical applications with various device designs. Finally, the perspectives on and challenges in developing high performance and sustainable hybrid nanogenerator systems are presented.