Innovative Contact Design in Solar Technology

🚀 Major Breakthrough in Front/Back-Contacted Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells! ☀️🔬 I am excited to share our latest research, entitled "Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells Featuring Localized Front Contacts". This is the first work demonstrating that localizing carrier-selective passivating contacts in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells does NOT compromise fill factor (FF)! 🔍 Why is this important? Traditionally, SHJ solar cells rely on full-area front contacts, which can lead to optical losses. By localizing the front carrier-selective passivating contacts only under the metal grid, we significantly boost light absorption without sacrificing electrical performance! ✨ Our key findings: ✅ High short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 40.5 mA/cm² (+1.1 mA/cm² w.r.t. control reference) ✅ Fill factor remains unaffected at ~81% ✅ Overall efficiency boost to 23.4% (a +2% absolute improvementw.r.t. to the initial, full area coated SHJ cell!) ✅ n-type nc-SiOx:H proves to be a crucial material for both lateral conductivity and fabrication purposes! ✅ Reduced reliance on indium, paving the way for more sustainable solar technologies. This breakthrough challenges conventional design limitations and opens new pathways to higher efficiency and long-term stability in SHJ solar cells! 🚀 Big thanks to Sebastian Smits, Yifeng Zhao, Paul Procel, and Luana Mazzarella as well as the c-Si team at Delft University of Technology for making this possible! Read the full paper in SolarRRL: https://lnkd.in/eE-xBP5B Let’s push the boundaries of solar innovation! ☀️⚡ #SolarEnergy #Photovoltaics #Innovation #Sustainability #SolarNL #SolarLab

MIT's new tech could save 30 billion gallons of water annually 💧 (And it's scaling fast) Desert regions hold 70% of global solar potential... But face an issue... ↳ Desert dust or dirt can reduce efficiency by 30% in just one month ↳ Cleaning panels currently consumes 30 billion gallons of water yearly ↳ That's enough water for 2 million people But what if there was a way to clean panels without a single drop? A team of MIT engineers has stepped in. They developed a waterless, no-contact cleaning system using electrostatic repulsion. How it works: ↳ A transparent conductive layer is applied to solar panels ↳ When voltage is applied, it charges the panel surface ↳ This charge actively repels dust particles ↳ Panels stay clean without water or physical contact The results are impressive: ↳ Recovers up to 95% of lost power output ↳ Eliminates water usage completely ↳ Prevents scratching damage from traditional brush cleaning ↳ Reduces operational costs by up to 27% Why it matters: ↳ Solar capacity will triple to 3,000GW globally by 2030 ↳ Water scarcity affects 40% of regions ideal for solar deployment ↳ Current cleaning methods cost $5B+ annually in water and labor While successful in the lab, the technology now needs field testing on actual solar farms. From water-intensive cleaning methods... ...to a completely waterless solution. Sometimes the most powerful innovations come from rethinking the problem entirely. Are you a fan? 📥 Follow me for daily insights on CleanTech and Climate Solutions

A new world record solar cell is out!! 🚨 My warmest congratulations to Avery Mingzhe Yu on being co-first author of the latest world record silicon solar cell, just published in Nature, Nature Magazine, Springer Nature. Graduating from Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Avery was my second doctoral student and she has since moved to LONGi to keep driving innovation and delivering outstanding results. (very proud supervisor!) The LONGi report is a bran new Hybrid Interdigitated Back-Contact (HIBC) Si cell reaching 27.8% PCE with FF ≈ 87.6%. The key enablers include in-situ passivated edge (iPET) to suppress edge SRH losses and maintain ideality ≈ 1; the laser-induced local crystallisation of the a-Si p/i stack at pyramid tips, which cuts p-contact resistivity ~10× while preserving overall passivation with careful tuning; And the unique architecture with combined high- and low-T steps, low-doped n-poly-Si + ITO for lateral transport, selective laser patterning and trenched metal fingers. In a nice piece of theory + data: they show an analytic link between ideality factor and recombination types, and loss partitioning showing ~2/3 of electrical loss from recombination (Auger dominant) vs ~1/3 transport. Takeaway: scalable laser + edge-passivation strategies can push back-contact Si cells much closer to theoretical FF limits. https://lnkd.in/dzU36p56 #SolarEnergy #Photovoltaics #SiliconSolarCells #RenewableEnergy #PVInnovation #Semiconductors #CleanEnergy #LaserProcessing #MaterialsScience #LONGi #EnergyTransition

🌞 𝗣𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘃𝘀𝗸𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝟮𝟬% 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 ⚡ A new study conduct at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL (EPFL), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) by Parnian Ferdowsi, Euimin Lee, Gyujin Jang, Jin Su Park, Donghyun Lee, Sumit Kumar Sharma, Waygen Thor, Jong-Woon Ha, Han-Hee Cho, Jun-Ho Yum, and Kevin Sivula reveals how self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) can redefine electron-selective contacts in n-i-p perovskite solar cells. Their work demonstrates how fine molecular tuning leads to remarkable power conversion efficiencies—without relying on traditional metal-oxide layers. 📌 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵: 1️⃣ 𝗖𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗼-𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 Introducing an electron-withdrawing –CN group into naphthalimide-based SAMs leads to optimal energy-level alignment with the perovskite conduction band. The best-performing SAM, NI-CN, reaches an impressive 𝟮𝟬.𝟲𝟰% 𝗣𝗖𝗘, outperforming other functional groups thanks to deeper LUMO levels and enhanced charge extraction. 2️⃣ 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 Comparing ethyl, propyl, and butyl spacers showed that shorter chains yield more homogeneous surfaces and stronger electron selectivity. This structural control enables more efficient perovskite/SAM interfaces and boosts overall device stability. 3️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Devices using NI-CN maintained performance over 500 hours of continuous 1-sun exposure, unlike control NI- or SnO₂-based cells that degraded more rapidly. This robustness highlights SAMs’ potential as scalable, low-temperature, cost-effective alternatives to conventional ETLs. 🔬 This work establishes new design principles for electron-selective SAMs and sets a benchmark for standalone molecular interlayers in perovskite photovoltaics. To read more (Source): https://lnkd.in/eKJTCbNp #Perovskite #SolarCells #MaterialsScience #EnergyInnovation #Nanomaterials #Photovoltaics ☀️🔋

IBC (Interdigitated Back Contact) technology solar modules are a type of high-efficiency solar panel that uses a unique architecture to improve performance. Rear contact solar cells have the ability to prevent all shading losses by placing both contacts on the rear of the cell. The pairs of electron hole generated by the light that is absorbed at the front surface of the cell can still be collected at the rear of the cell, by the use of a thin solar cell manufactured from high quality material. Such cells are especially useful in the concentrator applications, where the cell series resistance effect is much greater. An additional benefit of these cells is that cells with both of the contacts on the rear can be interconnected easier and can be placed closer together in the module because there is no need for any space between the cells. Key features: 1. Interdigitated back contact design: Metal contacts are placed on the back of the cell, allowing for more efficient charge carrier collection. 2. High-efficiency cells: IBC cells have higher efficiency rates (up to 26.7%) compared to traditional solar cells. 3. Reduced recombination losses: The interdigitated design minimizes recombination losses, leading to higher efficiency. 4. Improved temperature performance: IBC modules perform better in high-temperature conditions. Benefits: 1. Higher efficiency: IBC modules offer higher efficiency rates, resulting in more power output per unit area. 2. Increased energy yield: Higher efficiency and improved temperature performance lead to increased energy yield over the module's lifetime. 3. Reduced space requirements: Higher efficiency means fewer modules are needed to achieve the same power output, reducing space requirements. 4. Improved durability: IBC modules have a longer lifespan and are more resistant to degradation. Applications: 1. Residential and commercial rooftop installations 2. Utility-scale solar power plants 3. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) 4. Agricultural and rural electrification 5. Off-grid and remote power systems IBC technology offers improved efficiency, energy yield, and durability, making it a popular choice for high-performance solar applications.