Tutorial EN04

The Fundamental Principles of Photovoltaic Energy Conversion

The key factor in getting more efficient and cheaper solar energy panels is the advance in the development of photovoltaic cells. In Part 1, you will learn how photovoltaic cells convert solar energy into usable electricity. You will discover how to tackle potential loss mechanisms in solar cells. By understanding the semiconductor physics and optics involved, you will develop in-depth knowledge of how a photovoltaic cell works under different conditions.

Materials and Interface Engineering for Crystalline Silicon PV Technology

The nature of the materials and interfaces for crystalline silicon PV will be presented. In Part 2, you will gain the latest insights of how impurities, doping, crystal orientation, interstitials, and defects affect the optical and electrical performance of the novel materials and interfaces. A special focus will be on new materials, processing methods and innovative interface engineering (chemical and electrical passivation) for passivating contacts. 

Introduction in to Silicon PV Device Architectures and Module Concepts

In Part 3, you will be introduced to the recent advances in the development of the various crystalline silicon device architectures. You will use the design rules to reduce the optical and electrical losses as discussed in Part 1, to understand the underlying principles of Al Back Surface Field solar cells, Partial Back Contact (PERC) solar cells, heterojunction junction solar cells (HJ/HIT), interdigitated back contact (IBC), tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), bifacial solar cells and hybrid multi-junction PV concepts. In addition, you will be introduced to the design rules to manufacture PV modules using PV cells. The various modules architectures and the recent advances will be reviewed.

The Role of Circular Value Chain of Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics in The Energy Transition Towards a 100% Renewable Energy Future

All major future energy scenarios forecast a key role for photovoltaic solar energy. In Part 4, the important role of crystalline silicon in future residential and large-scale utility PV applications will be discussed. You will be introduced to new metrics -beyond that of module efficiencies- that will be important for the successful upscaling of the PV technologies in the coming decades.