Effect of alkali doping on CIGS photovoltaic ceramic tiles

Fraga, D.; Lyubenova, T. Stoyanova; Martí, R.; Calvet, I.; Barrachina, Ester Lacuey; Carda, J.

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2017.03.033

Cited by 19 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(40 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The remaining percentage, currently growing, is mainly represented by the second generation thin‐film panels, including the copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) applications . The strong interest for this technology is due to the high energy efficiency (18–22%), kept also at climate extreme conditions, contrary to the c‐Si PV, the long‐term stability of performance, and the low cost production . Furthermore, this kind of panel needs a low energy input because the thickness of active material (necessary for the conversion of sunlight into electricity) is about 100 times lower than conventional c‐Si modules .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2,3 The strong interest for this technology is due to the high energy efficiency (18-22%), kept also at climate extreme conditions, contrary to the c-Si PV, the long-term stability of performance, and the low cost production. [4][5][6][7][8] Furthermore, this kind of panel needs a low energy input because the thickness of active material (necessary for the conversion of sunlight into electricity) is about 100 times lower than conventional c-Si modules. 2,8,9 The CIGS technology is a young technology, and the main producers of CIGS panels are USA, Japan, and China, and the most relevant companies include Solar Frontier, SoloPower System, Global Solar, Miasole, and Sunflare.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[4][5][6][7][8] Furthermore, this kind of panel needs a low energy input because the thickness of active material (necessary for the conversion of sunlight into electricity) is about 100 times lower than conventional c-Si modules. 2,8,9 The CIGS technology is a young technology, and the main producers of CIGS panels are USA, Japan, and China, and the most relevant companies include Solar Frontier, SoloPower System, Global Solar, Miasole, and Sunflare. 4 Considering the average lifetime of the modules around 25 years, some studies estimates a quantity of end-of-life equipment that will reach the disposal sites of about 9.57 million tons.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

End‐of‐life CIGS photovoltaic panel: A source of secondary indium and gallium

Amato

Beolchini

2018

Progress in Photovoltaics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The photovoltaic market has boomed in the last decade, and it is becoming much richer of high performance technologies. The copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) panel represents an example of young technology that shows high energy efficiency, kept at extreme weather conditions. Its average lifetime is around 25 years, and a strategy for a convenient recycling should be planned to prevent the future storage of high waste amount. The interest of end‐of‐life CIGS panels is due to their content of critical raw materials, mainly Ga and In, with concentrations around 600 and 90 ppm, respectively, higher than those in the ores. In this context, we tested different leaching agents (H2SO4, HCl, HNO3, citric acid, and NaOH), in the possible presence of a mobilizing agent (H2O2 and glucose), to obtain high‐efficiency metal extraction. Furthermore, to minimize the environmental impact of the process, the experimental activity was combined with the evaluation of the carbon footprint of the experimented options, using the life cycle assessment tool. Overall, the combination of CA and H2O2 appeared the best choice, from both the operative and the sustainability point of view, showing efficiencies higher than 90%, after 1 hour, at 80°C, with a carbon footprint of 0.1‐kg CO2‐eq. The obtained result represents an innovation in the field of end‐of‐life CIGS photovoltaic panel exploitation, and it is the starting point for both secondary In and Ga production, in agreement with the circular economy approach.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

End‐of‐life CIGS photovoltaic panel: A source of secondary indium and gallium

Amato

Beolchini

2018

Progress in Photovoltaics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The highest solar cell conversion efficiency of 6.6% (open-circuit voltage: 775.6 mV, short-circuit current: 15.5 mA/cm 2 , fill factor: 54.9%, area: 0.2 cm 2 ) was obtained when the Na 2 Se thickness was 20 nm.Nanomaterials 2020, 10, 547 2 of 13 and 12.6% [12]. Herein, AIGS thin films were fabricated via a non-vacuum method to reduce the associated costs.Sodium has been widely adopted to improve device performance and the material properties of CIGS-related materials [13][14][15]. Numerous reports have demonstrated the positive influence of sodium on the chalcopyrite absorber layer properties and solar cell performance.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sodium has been widely adopted to improve device performance and the material properties of CIGS-related materials [13][14][15]. Numerous reports have demonstrated the positive influence of sodium on the chalcopyrite absorber layer properties and solar cell performance.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar Cell Applications of Solution-Processed AgInGaSe2 Thin Films and Improved Properties by Sodium Doping

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Binary nanoparticle inks comprising Ag 2 Se, In 2 Se 3 , and Ga 2 Se 3 were fabricated via a wet ball-milling method and were further used to fabricate AgInGaSe 2 (AIGS) precursors by sequentially spraying the inks onto a Mo-coated substrate. AIGS precursors were annealed under a Se atmosphere for 1 h at 570 • C. Na 2 Se thin layers of varying thicknesses (0, 5, 10, and 20 nm) were vacuum-evaporated onto the Mo layer prior to the AIGS precursors being fabricated to investigate the influence on AIGS solar cells. Sodium plays a critical role in improving the material properties and performance of AIGS thin-film solar cells. The grain size of the AIGS films was significantly improved by sodium doping. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy illustrated slight surficial sodium segregation and heavy sodium segregation at the AIGS/Mo interface. Double-graded band profiles were observed in the AIGS films. With the increase in Na 2 Se thickness, the basic photovoltaic characteristics of the AIGS solar cells were significantly improved. The highest solar cell conversion efficiency of 6.6% (open-circuit voltage: 775.6 mV, short-circuit current: 15.5 mA/cm 2 , fill factor: 54.9%, area: 0.2 cm 2 ) was obtained when the Na 2 Se thickness was 20 nm.Nanomaterials 2020, 10, 547 2 of 13 and 12.6% [12]. Herein, AIGS thin films were fabricated via a non-vacuum method to reduce the associated costs.Sodium has been widely adopted to improve device performance and the material properties of CIGS-related materials [13][14][15]. Numerous reports have demonstrated the positive influence of sodium on the chalcopyrite absorber layer properties and solar cell performance. There are research efforts that have assigned the improvement associated with sodium on the chalcopyrite-related film grain size [16], while other reports have focused on the mechanism of how sodium doping influences the electronic and material properties [17]. Sodium is observed to passivate defects in CIGS-related films, resulting in improved solar cell performance [18][19][20].In this work, a new non-vacuum method was adopted to fabricate low-cost AIGS absorber layers. Ag 2 Se, Ga 2 Se 3 , and In 2 Se 3 nanoparticle inks fabricated via a wet ball-milling method were used to further fabricate AIGS substrate precursors. The AIGS precursor structure is shown in Figure 1. Such structure types ensure double-graded bandgap structures in the AIGS precursors, which are important for improving solar cell performance [21]. To study the influence of Na on the properties of AIGS films and solar cell performance, Na 2 Se layers of various thicknesses were vacuum-evaporated onto Mo-coated soda-lime glass (SLG) substrates prior to the deposition of the nanoparticle layers. The Na 2 Se thicknesses were selected as 0, 5, 10, and 20 nm. Thereafter, the AIGS precursor was annealed in a continuously pumped two-zone furnace under a Se atmosphere to improve the grain size, crystallization, and electronic properties. Se flux was continuously supplied to prevent decomposition of the AIGS film because ...

show abstract

Present Status of Solution‐Processing Routes for Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)₂ Solar Cell Absorbers

Suresh

Uhl

2021

Advanced Energy Materials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Photovoltaic technologies offer a sustainable solution to the challenge of meeting increasing energy demands. Chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2, short CIGS—thin‐film solar cells—having intrinsically p‐type absorbers with a tunable direct bandgap—exhibits one of the highest stabilized power conversion efficiencies of 23.35%, utilizing absorbers typically fabricated via vacuum deposition methods. Research is increasingly devoted to absorbers deposited by solution processing techniques, which may inherently improve material usage, increase throughput, and lower financial barriers to commercialization. However, the performance of current devices with solution‐processed absorbers is still falling short of their vacuum‐processed counterparts with record power conversion efficiencies up to 18.7% reported to date. While hydrazine solvent‐based routes offer reduced residual impurities, their toxicity poses hindrances to widespread adoption. Alternatively, less toxic and environmentally friendly routes based on protic and aprotic solvents are being researched and are showing promising device efficiencies well above 14%. This review describes the current status of CIGS solar cell absorber layers fabricated by pure solution‐based deposition methods, provides a comparison of champion solution‐processed devices (with and without hydrazine), and offers an outlook for future improvements.

show abstract

Effect of alkali doping on CIGS photovoltaic ceramic tiles

Cited by 19 publications

References 41 publications

End‐of‐life CIGS photovoltaic panel: A source of secondary indium and gallium

End‐of‐life CIGS photovoltaic panel: A source of secondary indium and gallium

Solar Cell Applications of Solution-Processed AgInGaSe2 Thin Films and Improved Properties by Sodium Doping

Present Status of Solution‐Processing Routes for Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)₂ Solar Cell Absorbers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Effect of alkali doping on CIGS photovoltaic ceramic tiles

Cited by 19 publications

References 41 publications

End‐of‐life CIGS photovoltaic panel: A source of secondary indium and gallium

End‐of‐life CIGS photovoltaic panel: A source of secondary indium and gallium

Solar Cell Applications of Solution-Processed AgInGaSe2 Thin Films and Improved Properties by Sodium Doping

Present Status of Solution‐Processing Routes for Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 Solar Cell Absorbers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Present Status of Solution‐Processing Routes for Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)₂ Solar Cell Absorbers