Contents
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List of Symbols
and Terms / ix
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Preface / xv
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Chapter 1 Introduction
to Solar Cells / 1
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1.1 Philosophy
of the Text / 1
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1.2 Renewable
Energy and Photovoltaics Background / 2
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1.3 What is a
Solar Cell? / 4
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1.4 Solar Cell
Modules / 10
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Chapter 2 Absorbing
Solar Energy / 15
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2.1 Air Mass
and the Solar Spectrum / 15
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2.2 Optical Properties
of Solar-Cell Materials / 19
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2.2.1 Absorptivity / 19
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2.2.2 Absorption coefficient
/ 20
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2.2.3 Solar cell bandgap
/ 23
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2.2.4 Antireflection coatings
/ 26
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2.2.5 Thickness determination
/ 29
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2.2.6 Predicting absorptivity
/ 30
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2.3 Photoluminescence
/ 32
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Chapter 3 Solar
Cell Equations / 37
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3.1 PV Device
Characteristics / 37
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3.2 Quantum Efficiency
for Current Collection / 41
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3.3 Lifetime,
Diffusion Length, and Electron Concentrations /
44
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3.4 The Transport
Equation and Current Extraction / 46
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Chapter 4 Photoelectrochemistry
/ 51
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4.1 Basic Photoelectrochemistry
/ 51
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4.2 The Dye-Sensitized
Nanocrystalline Solar Cell / 51
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Chapter 5 Generalized
Model of a Solar Converter / 57
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5.1 General Thermodynamics
of Light Conversion / 57
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5.2 Detailed
Balance: The Generalized Planck Equation / 59
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5.3 The Luminescent
Output / 65
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5.4 The Relationship
Between Voltage and Luminescence Efficiency / 66
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5.5 Current-Voltage
Characteristics and Luminescence / 67
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Chapter 6 Concentrators
of Light / 71
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6.1 The Thermodynamic
Limits of Light Concentrators / 71
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6.2 Geometrical
Optics / 71
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6.2.1 General theory and
sine brightness law / 71
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6.2.2 Examples of ideal
geometric concentrators / 73
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6.3 Active Concentrators
(Luminescent Systems) / 77
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6.3.1 Theory of luminescent
systems / 77
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6.4 Light Enhancement
in the Environment / 78
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Chapter 7 Basic
Economics of Photovoltaic Cells and Systems / 81
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7.1 The Basics
of PV Economics / 81
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7.2 Estimated
Solar Module Cost / 82
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7.3 Economics
of Photovoltaic Systems / 83
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7.4 Economics
of Renewable Energy in the World Economy / 85
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7.5 Conclusions
and Further Study / 90
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Appendix / 91
|
A Basic Solar
Energy Library for the Optical Specialist / 93
|
Index / 97 |
Optoelectronics of Solar Cells
SPIE
Monograph PM115,
by Greg P. Smestad
ISBN 0-8194-4440-5
118 pages; Pub. July 2002; Softcover;
In print, $34 SPIE members/$42 non-members.
Order the book from
SPIE or from
Amazon.com.
|