Solar Technologies – Page 27 – TechConnect Briefs

Enhanced Photocurrent in Transparent Lead Zirconate-Titanate Thin Film Capacitors Under Sun Light Illumination

Ocola L.E., Li H., Auciello O., Argonne National Laboratory, US

A report will be presented on research focused on developing transparent Pb(ZrxTi1-xO3) (PZT)–based capacitor for photovoltaic device applications. The transparent PZT-based capacitors exhibit high photocurrents when exposed to Xenon (Xe) light that has wavelengths from [...]

Design of a Tandem Conjugated Polymer Bulk Heterostructure Solar Cell

Valenzuela J., Mil’shtein S., UMass Lowell, US

The use of conjugated polymers in solar cell applications has drawn a lot of attention as a way of bringing the high cost of electricity produced by inorganic solar cells to competitive levels. Different research [...]

Thin nanostructured solar cells on metal sheets

Toivola M., Miettunen K., Halme J., Lund P., Helsinki University of Technology, FI

We have studied direct integration of nanostructured, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) on industrial sheet metals, used e.g. as building materials. To demonstrate an all-flexible, roll-to-roll producable and mechanically stable DSC, counter electrodes made of platinized [...]

Use of Multiphysics modeling to improve solar thin film performance and manufacture

Jain A., Sanyal J., Ivanov V., Grald E., Mukhopadhyay A., ANSYS, Inc., US

Solar and wind energy are gaining attention for both technology innovation and commercialization, due to the environmental impacts of conventional energy sources, lack of technology breakthrough with hydrogen based systems, and rising oil prices,. Among [...]

Electrospun TiO2 Fibers as a Material for Dye Sensitizied Solar Cells

Duchoslav J., Rubáek L., Kavan L., Zukalová M., Procházka J., Elmarco Ltd., CZ

Electrospinning is a method for producing polymeric fabric with fibers ranging from 50 to 500 nm in diameter. It has been demonstrated that fibrous structure is preserved even after annealing when precursor of inorganic compound [...]

The Competitive Cost Position of Novel Thin Film Photovoltaic Module Technologies in High Temperature and Low Light Conditions

Goodrich A., Hannibal T., Grimes J., Wendt R., IBIS Associates, Inc., US

Few Industries more strictly obey competitive costs in technology strategy decisions than does the electricity generation market. Although governments often legislate the amount of renewable energy generation companies must provide the source is left up [...]

The Influence of Rebates and Incentives on the Solar Industry; What Obstacles Remain for US National Adoption of Solar PV?

Neagle B., Borrego Solar Systems, US

In 2006, 1,744MW of solar capacity was installed in the world. The United States only contributed 8% or 140 MW, while other countries such as Germany and Japan set new records for solar energy in [...]

Internet Based Inverter-Integrated Solar Power Meter System

Hicks R., PV Powered Inc., US

PVPowered has developed a low-cost, reliable and accurate inverter-integrated solar power meter system that is able to collect, process and present information that helps system owners monitor and evaluate the performance of their photovoltaic power [...]

Renewables: Photovoltaics, Wind & Geothermal

Microbial fuel cell

Willert-Porada M., Lorenz K., Freitag R., Jerome V., Peiffer S., University of Bayreuth, DE

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells, PE-FC, use hydrogen or methanol as fuel. Water soluble organic compounds, like starch, glucose, acetates, can not serve as fuel because of limited catalytic activity of common metal catalysts. Opposite to [...]