Researches on Anti-reflection Coating (ARC) Methods Used in PV Systems

Abstract

With the development of PV systems' technology over the years and the reduction of production costs, PV systems are now being used for electricity generation. PV systems are listed among the renewable energy sources as the only requirement is solar energy and electricity generation is carried out without any fuel and waste. Solar cells used in PV systems are adversely affected by extremes of temperature, shading, reflection, and pollution. It is known that before sunrays reach the cell's surface, some of them disappears from the protective glass surface and are reflected back from the cell through the glass surface. Antireflection coatings (ARC) are used to reduce the energy loss and increase solar cell efficiency and output power. SiO2 and MgF2 are the most commonly used solutions among these coatings. It has been seen that the most efficient applications, with anti-reflection coatings as single, double, triple and more layers, are in triple layers applications. It has been observed that applications to the protective glass surface have self-cleaning properties, and TiO2 and ZrO2 are frequently used for this. The reflectance index of the protective glass, which is normally 1.51, can be reduced to 1.20 in silicone cells and 1.28 in thin film surfaces with the AR coatings.

Diamond-Like Carbon Film Deposited via Electrochemical Route for Antireflection Applications in Photovoltaic

“…AR coating can enhance the optical characteristics of solar cell. As an antireflective and protective coatings for solar cells, a variety of coatings such as ZnO, SiO2, MgF2, and SiN4 are often used, nowadays [5]. Carbon based films can also be used as an AR coatings in PV applications due its high abrasive strength, optical transparency and also having effective response in various regimes of electromagnetic spectrum (UV, Visible, IR) [6].…”