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https://newatlas.com/energy/domes-solar-cells-boost-efficiency-two-thirds/
Solar cell efficiency may get a bump from bumps. New research suggests that building tiny domes into the surface of organic solar cells could boost their efficiency by up to two-thirds, while capturing light from a wider angle.
Solar cells are usually flat, which maximizes how much of the surface is exposed to sunlight at any given time. This design works best when the Sun is within a certain angle, so the panels are usually tilted between 15 and 40 degrees to get the most out of the day.
Scientists have toyed with other shapes for the surface, including embedding spherical nanoshells of silica which trap and circulate sunlight to allow the device to capture more energy from it. For the new study, scientists at Abdullah Gül University in Türkiye ran complex simulations of how dome-shaped bumps might boost organic solar surfaces.
The team studied photovoltaic cells made with an organic polymer called P3HT:ICBA as the active layer, above a layer of aluminum and a substrate of PMMA, capped off with a transparent protective layer of indium tin oxide (ITO). This sandwich structure was kept through the whole dome, or "hemispherical shell" as the team calls it.
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Compared to flat surfaces, solar cells dotted with bumps showed 36% and 66% improvements in light absorption, depending on the polarization of the light. Those bumps also allowed light to enter from a wider range of directions than a flat surface, providing an angular coverage of up to 82 degrees.
Journal Reference:
Dooyoung Hah, Hemispherical-shell-shaped organic photovoltaic cells for absorption enhancement and improved angular coverage, Journal of Photonics for Energy, Vol. 14, Issue 1, 018501 (February 2024). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.14.018501
(Score: 5, Interesting) by deimtee on Thursday February 22 2024, @08:33PM (3 children)
I think in the real world you are going to lose that percentage gain as soon as the spaces between the bumps fill up with dirt. Bumpy surfaces are a pain to clean. Might work in space though, and that's one area where increased cost of manufacture would be almost irrelevant.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by RS3 on Thursday February 22 2024, @08:44PM
I'm not expert but there are automated cleaning systems for PV panels. Some of them look as simple as a lawn sprinkler. I'm envisioning a rotating soft brush on some kind of track system. Freezing would be a problem of course. Heat tape and insulation over that would help, but don't spray water on sub-freezing days.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday February 22 2024, @08:45PM
But, in space you can keep your "house" oriented with the panels flat to the sun, and probably want to do that for a variety of reasons beyond collecting solar power.
What I wondered, but not enough to RTFA, is what scale of bumps they are simulating. Are these bumps 1mm or 25mm across? Does scale even matter (much)? If it's done with "big bumps" then they shouldn't be as problematic to clean.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Deep Blue on Thursday February 22 2024, @08:52PM
My first thought too, but what if you put a smooth surface on top of the bumpy surface. The bumps will still redirect the light from all around, but to the outside environment it still smooth.