OPTI 414A/514A

12/07

OPTI 414A/514A. Photovoltaic Solar Energy Systems (3) II. The course will provide an overview of solar illumination, photovoltaic devices, solar concentrating systems, and new technologies for photovoltaics.

Instructor:

Dr. Raymond K. Kostuk
kostuk@ece.arizona.edu

Course Outline:

1. Overview photovoltaic cells and power generation
   1. Potential for solar energy harvesting
   2. Cost issues of current solar power systems
   3. Photovoltaic Roadmap
   4. Balance of Systems (BOS) components
2. Characteristics of solar illumination
   1. Radiometric description of solar illumination
   2. Variations in solar illumination
   3. Spectral characteristics of solar illumination
3. Characteristics of photovoltaic cells
   1. Comparison of solar cells to batteries
   2. Photocurrent
   3. Dark current
   4. Effect of bandgap
   5. Effect of spectrum on efficiency
   6. Requirements for an ideal photoconverter
4. Photovoltaic semiconductor properties
   1. Basic concepts
   2. Electron states in semiconductors
   3. Equilibrium conditions
   4. Impurities and doping
   5. Semiconductors under bias
   6. Drift and diffusion
5. Generation and Recombination
   1. Semiconductor transport equations
   2. Photogeneration
   3. Recombination
6. Junctions
   1. Metal- semiconductor
   2. Semiconductor-semiconductor
   3. Junctions in organic materials
7. Analysis of p-n junctions specific to PV cells
   1. Short circuit and open circuit characteristics
   2. p-n junction under illumination
   3. p-n junction in the dark
8. Monocrystalline Solar Cells
   1. Materials and design issues
   2. Silicon material properties
   3. Silicon solar cell design
   4. III-V semiconductor material properties
   5. GaAs solar cell design
9. Thin Film Solar Cells
   1. Thin film photovoltaic materials
   2. Amorphous silicon
   3. Amorphous silicon solar cell design
   4. CuInSe₂ Thin film solar cells
   5. CdTe thin film solar cells
10. Optical Designs to Enhance Performance
    1. Minimizing reflection losses
    2. Optical concentrators
    3. Light confinement
    4. Photon recycling
11. Photovoltaic Systems
    1. Module design
    2. PV cell measurements
    3. Solar simulators
    4. Battery and storage systems
    5. Grid tie systems

Textbook:

"The Physics of Solar Cells," author: Jenny Nelson, Imperial College Press, ISBN: 1-86094-340-3, 2002.

Grading Policy:

Undergraduates and Graduates:

              15% Homework

              30% Midterm Exams (2)

              10% Class Project

               45% Final Exam 

Graduate students will be assigned extra problems on the homework sets and the exams.

Graduate and undergraduate averages will be computed separately.

The class project will consist of the design and evaluation of a photovoltaic electric power generation system.