Nieuwe ontwikkelingen in zonne-energie
 

25 mei 2013

Nieuwe ontwikkelingen in zonne-energie

2009-07-19 | Bron: iNSnet |
Nieuwe ontwikkelingen in zonne-energie
Het WRI, World Resource Institute, heeft een overzicht gepubliceerd van de meest belovende technologische ontwikkelingen op gebied van schone energie en klimaatbeheersing. Vooral de ontwikkelingen op gebied van zonne-energie zijn indrukwekkend en beloven een snelle doorbraak van goedkope systemen met hoog rendement en van nieuwe goedkope technologie om zonne-energie voor opslag om te zetten in waterstof.

Het onderzoek kan hier worden gedownload, het overzicht van onwikkelingen op gebied van zonne-energie volgt hier (onvertaald).


The adoption of policies and financial incentives by several countries is promoting widespread diffusion of photovoltaic cells. In 2008, approximately 5.2 GW were installed while revenues reached over $ 30.5 billion. The competitive industry that has emerged (along with government programs) is promoting innovative basic and applied research which aims to increase the efficiency of solar cells and reduce the costs of the production and installation chain. Research on solar power in 2008 focused on new designs and materials, cost-cutting features, and efficiency gains.

Among the technology breakthroughs in efficiencythis year:

• The efficiencyof the multi-junction solar cell increased from 37.6% (achieved in July 2008) to 39.7% due to the incorporation of III-V semiconductors (“Fraunhofer ISE researchers achieve 39.7% solar cell effi ciency,” RenewableEnergyWorld.com, 30 September 2008);

• The efficiencyof the silicon solar cell was boosted to 25%, achieved with a design that captures a broader spectrum of light (“Highest silicon solar cell efficiencyever reached,” ScienceDaily, 24 October 2008);

• The efficiencyof solvent-free dye-sensitized solar cells reached a record 8.2% with the use of an electrolyte saltbased solution in lieu of organic solvents (“New efficiency benchmark for dye-sensitized solar cells,” ScienceDaily, 2 July 2008);

• The efficiencyof polymer solar cells increased to 5.6% as a result of a new polymer substitute (“Polymer solar cells with higher efficiencylevels created,” ScienceDaily, 1 December 2008);

• Scientists at Northwestern University boosted the efficiency of power conversion from 2-4% to 5.2-5.6% of the bulk- heterojunction solar cell by applying a new anode coating of nickel oxide (“Special coating greatly improves solar cell performance,” ScienceDaily, 26 February 2008); plastic sheets, which are directed to catch infrared rays – for solar energy collectors, capturing as much as 92% of infrared light (“Flexible nanoantenna arrays capture abundant solar energy,” ScienceDaily, 12 August 2008);

• With the use of alkanedithiols as processing additives, scientists achieved a 5.1% efficiencyfor plastic solar cells, among the highest effi ciencies for the technology type (“Toward the next generation of high-efficiencyplastic solar cells,” ScienceDaily, 19 March 2008); and

• MIT scientists developed a novel design for solar concentrators in which solar cells are only found at the edges, rather than covering the entire material (e.g. a window or roof), increasing the system’s efficiencyby 50% with little additional costs (Elizabeth Thomson, “MIT research may bring down cost of solar energy,” MIT News Office, July 16, 2008).

 


Several other research innovations are highlighted below.

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory Newsroom
“NREL solar research gains two R&D 100 awards”
17 July 2008

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory Newsroom
“Record makes thin-film solar cell competitive with
silicon effi ciency”
24 March 2008

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory Newsroom
“NREL, HelioVolt receive technology transfer award
for PV manufacturing technology”
7 October 2008

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) made some notable advances in solar cell technology in 2008. The Laboratory’s creation of the “Inverted Metamorphic Multi-Junction solar cell” set three world records related to effi ciency. The technology grows the solar cell upside down, which eliminates the need for a thick germanium bottom layer, reducing 94% of the cell’s weight and related costs. The new cell is also highly flexible. In another technological advance, NREL created a copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic. The deposit of inks is central to
the design, simplifying the manufacturing process and resulting in a highly flexible film.

Implications: The Inverted Metamorphic Multi-Junction solar cell is not only more effi cient than other solar technologies, but has lower associated costs of operation and manufacturing, increasing its appeal on the commercial market. Because the inks in the thin-fi lm technology can be applied directly to building materials, commercialization could possibly “turn entire buildings and other structures into small, self-sustaining power plants” in the future.

• Matthew Kanan and Daniel Nocera
“In situ formation of an oxygen-evolving catalyst in
neutral water containing phosphate and CO2+”
Science 22 August 2008, vol. 321

• “MIT researchers discover new energy storage
solution”
Renewable Energy World 4 August 2008

• “Researchers generate hydrogen without the
carbon footprint”
ScienceDaily 18 July 2008

Research has also advanced the potential for solar power in hydrogen production. For example, MIT scientists have recently developed a new non-toxic, inexpensive technology for storing solar energy, with potential applications for generating hydrogen power. Matthew Kanan and Daniel Nocera based their discovery around plant photosynthesis. They built a solar cell that can split water, producing hydrogen for use in a fuel cell. To achieve this, they incorporated a novel catalyst of an inert indium tin
oxide electrode in phosphate-buffered water containing cobalt ions. Penn State scientists, led by Craig Grimes, have also developed a procedure for splitting water to produce hydrogen via solar energy. They used a nanotube design with a photoelectrochemical diode made of titanium dioxide and copper titanium.
Implications: Current technologies that split water are typically costly and require toxic environments to operate.

While far removed from commercial availability, Kanan and Nocera’s catalyst technology relies on materials that occur naturally and, according to the authors, are abundant. Grimes et al.’s design, while yet to achieve advanced efficiencies, signifi es an advancement given its low costs and durability.

• J. Yoon, A. J. Baca, S. Park, P. Elvikis, et al.
“Ultrathin silicon solar microcells for
semitransparent, mechanically fl exible
and microconcentrator module designs”
Nature Materials November 2008, vol. 7

• Andrew Mitchinson
“Materials science: Solar cells go round the bend”
Nature 9 October 2008, vol. 744

Yoon et al. have developed a new silicon solar cell that is “ultrathin,” highly flexible, lightweight, and transparent. Their design incorporates large-scale arrays of silicon solar microcells, carved from a block of silicon, which are applied to a substrate via a printing process. Electrodes are used to connect the microcells to one another on top of the substrate. The cells can be as thin as 100 nanometers
and take up as little space as a few micrometers. They are also transportable; they not only bend easily but maintain their efficiencywhen bent.

Implications: The authors state that the materials involved in the design are long-lasting and durable. The new design also requires less silicon, lowering costs and material input. The ultrathin solar cell’s transparency could facilitate its application in windows.



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