Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Semitransparent Thin Film Solar Cells using Cu-doped Bi2(S,Se)3 Nanocrystals for Building-Integrated Photovoltaics
EPA Grant Number: SU839290Title: Semitransparent Thin Film Solar Cells using Cu-doped Bi2(S,Se)3 Nanocrystals for Building-Integrated Photovoltaics
Investigators: Das, Sandip , Riefe, Erik , McWhorter, Samuel , Griffis, Lakota , Rogers, Johnathan
Institution: Kennesaw State University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: February 1, 2018 through January 31, 2019 (Extended to January 31, 2020)
Project Amount: $14,977
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2017) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Dependence on fossil fuels for electricity generation is impacting the air quality and the global environment adversely due to the emission of toxic and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Hence, alternative technologies are needed for electricity generation in a more sustainable fashion. Photovoltaic solar cells can sustainably harvest the solar energy from the sunlight by direct conversion of light into electricity without any greenhouse or toxic gas emissions. Development of low-cost and mass deployable solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is crucial to realize solar power as the primary source of renewable energy for a sustainable future, mitigation of environmental impacts by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and meeting the global demand of terawatt-scale PV power generation. The current commercial solar modules based on silicon (Si) wafers are expensive, fragile, heavy and cannot be made flexible. Mounting of these modules onto the rooftop or integrating them onto a building requires strong mechanical structures that increase the overall cost of installation. Due to such drawbacks, installation of solar panels have been limited primarily onto the building rooftops, which restricts the power generation capacity due to limited roof area available. This project proposes a low-cost, lightweight and portable solar photovoltaic technology based on Bi2(S,Se)3 which can be made semitransparent and flexible to easily retrofit onto buildings. Unlike other nanocrystalline thin film solar cell technologies, the proposed materials system does not contain any toxic or expensive element. The project intended to design and develop a new nanocrystalline solar cell using Bi2(S,Se)3 as the light absorber.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
We have successfully designed nanocrystalline thin-film solar cell structures using Bi2S3. Several heterojunction device designs have been investigated and a systematic study was conducted to find the best performing cell structure with optimum efficiency. Active layer for the cells consisted of p-type Bi2(S,Se)3 – a low-cost, efficient light absorbing semiconductor material. A heterojunction solar cell requires an n-type material in conjunction with the p-type light-absorbing layer to extract the photo-generated electrons. Device simulation results exhibited an optimum device performance for a p-Bi2S3/n-In2S3/ITO structure yielding about 17% efficiency with 1µm absorber thickness. p-Bi2S3/n-ZnO/ITO structure with ZnO as the electron collection layer resulted a near-optimum efficiency of about 16%. Due to higher cost of indium, we conclude that ZnO is a low-cost viable option and p-Bi2S3/n-ZnO/ITO structure can be considered for practical solar cells targeted toward mass scale production. A prototype solar cell exhibited an open-circuit voltage of 0.4 V, a short-circuit current of 0.97 mA leading to a power conversion efficiency of 0.672%. During this project, students have learned about the device design, simulation, experimental setup design and fabrication/measurement process.
Conclusions:
This work laid the background for further investigation and optimization of bismuth sulfide/selenide-based nanocrystalline thin-film solar cells promising for low-cost, light-weight solar cells which are suitable for building integrated photovoltaic applications. In Phase I of the project, we have successfully designed devices and achieved preliminary prototype assessment. We have also disseminated our research and promoted the field of renewable energy research through conference presentation and invites talks at the regional high school teacher academy.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 2 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Thin Film Solar Cell, Bismuth Sulfide, Building-Integrated Photovoltaics, BIPVProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.