Solar PV Module Technologies

Module 1 : Solar
Technology Basics
Module 2:
Solar Photo Voltaic Module Technologies
Module 3: Designing Solar PV
Systems (Rooftops)

Module 4: Designing Solar PV

Systems ( Utility Scale)

Module 5: Financial Analysis

Module 6: DPR (Detailed

Project Report) & EPC

Module 7: The present Solar

industry scenario and the
future
 Semiconductors used
for solar cells
II III IV V VI

B C (6)
Al Si (14) P S

Zn Ga Ge (32) As Se

Cd In Sb Te

Semiconductors:
 Elementary – Si, Ge.
 Compound – GaAs, InP, CdTe.
 Ternary – AlGaAs, HgCdTe, CIS.
 Quaternary – CIGS, InGaAsP, InGaAIP.
 Cell Technologies
Pure and
Mono- efficient
crystalline 15-19%
Crystalline efficiency
silicon
Multi- 12-15%
crystalline efficiency

8.5%
CdTe
Non Silicon efficiency
based 9-11%
CIGS
Thin film efficiency
Silicon 5-7%
Amorphous
based efficiency
 Technology Differences
Optical Properties Electrical Properties

• Band gap (direct, indirect) • Carrier Lifetime

• Absorption Coefficient • Mobility
• Absorption length • Diffusion length

Manufacturing Performance

• Absorber material • Efficiency

• Cells • Current, Voltage and FF
• Modules • Effect of temperature and
radiation
 Optical Properties:
Band Gaps

Fixed band gap of c-Si material (mono, multi).

Tunable gaps of thin film compound semiconductors.
Once a module is fixed, there can be no modification.
 Optical Properties:
Direct and Indirect band gap
semiconductor

 High absorption probability.  Low absorption probability.

 Thinner material only.  Thicker material only.
 Optical Properties:
Material absorption lengths
Absorption Length in Microns
(for approx. 73% incoming light absorption)

Wavelength (nm) c-Si a-Si CIGS GaAs

400 nm (3.1eV) 0.15 0.05 0.05 0.09
600 nm (2eV) 1.8 0.14 0.06 0.18
800 nm (1.55eV) 9.3 Not absorbed 0.14 1.1
1000nm(1.24eV) 180.9 Not absorbed 0.25 Not absorbed

 Absorption length is much higher for Si because of lower absorption

coefficient.
 Longer wavelength photons require more materials to get absorbed.
 Electrical Properties:

Mobility:
Ease with which carriers move in semiconductor.

Lifetime:
Average time carriers spend in excited state.

Diffusion Length:
Average length travelled by carrier before
recombining due to concentration difference.
 Electrical Properties:
Drift and Diffusion lengths
Diffusion: Carrier movement due to concentration
difference.
Diffusion length: Average length travelled by
carrier before recombination due to concentration
difference.

Drift: Carrier movement due to electric field.

Drift length: Average length travelled by carrier
before recombination under electric field.
 Electrical Properties:
Drift and Diffusion lengths
High quality material Low quality material
scenario scenario

 Carrier are transported by diffusion  Diffusion length are small.

to the junction.
 Drift length is about 10 times
 Large diffusion length. greater than diffusion length.

 Junction is very thin.  Intrinsic layer is thicker.

 Manufacturing:
The difference
Crystalline Thin Film
Technology

 Mono-crystalline and Poly- The absorber layer is deposited in

crystalline Si substrates are grown. the thin film cells.

The substrate act as a light  A supporting substrate is required

absorber material. since the films are thin.
 Performances

 Average module efficiencies are increasing for all technologies.

 PV module efficiencies lag behind as compared to laboratory
cell efficiencies.
 Temperature Coefficient

 Thin Film modules perform better due to smaller temperature

coefficient.
 Temperature Coefficient could result in higher electricity
generation.
Shading Effects
 Thank You!!
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