Photovoltaic Technology
Monolithically III-V/silicon tandem solar cell with an efficiency
of 33.3% Fraunhofer ISE
Challenges of photovoltaics:
- Further reduction cost of PV-generated electricity
- High conversion efficiency of solar cells is a key parameter
for further cost reduction - But: Theoretical efficiency of simple solar cells is limited to
values around 30% (Shockley-Queisser limit)
Tasks for Sustainable Systems Engineers:
- Improve current solar cell technologies to improve efficiency and reduce production costs
- Develop advanced characterization and simulation tools
- Develop new solar cell concepts to enable efficiencies greater than the Shockley-Queisser limit
- Investigate new photovoltaic absorber material as perovskites
Related scientific projects of INATECH:
- German Science Foundation (DFG): “Advanced optics for perovskite silicon tandem solar cells”: https://www.inatech.uni-freiburg.de/de/professuren/pek/projekte/copy_of_persist-perowskit-silizium-tandemsolarzellen
- BMWi projects (cooperation project with scientific and industrial partners): “Perovskite silicon tandem solar cells”: https://www.inatech.uni-freiburg.de/de/professuren/pek/projekte/persist-perowskit-silizium-tandemsolarzellen
- “Limiting defects in silicon materials for high-efficiency solar cells“: https://www.inatech.uni-freiburg.de/de/professuren/pek/projekte/copy2_of_persist-perowskit-silizium-tandemsolarzellen
Related lectures (MA-SSE):
- Solar Energy (Glunz, Kramer, Schossig)
- PV-Laboratory (Glunz, Tucher)
- Grid integration and Control
- Energy Storage
- Power Electronics Circuits and Devices
- Power Electronics for E-Mobility, Photovoltaics and Wind Energy
- Electromobility
- Emerging and Future Photovoltaic Technology Options
- Characterization of Solar Cells
- Multi-junction Solar Cell Technology and Concentrator PV
- Energy Economics and Energy Policy