Photovoltaics
Conversion of solar energy through photovoltaic cells is among the most important approaches to renewable energies. However, a substantial increase of the fraction of electrical energy produced through photovoltaic conversion will necessarily require an increase of efficiency, and a reduction of cost/Watt, of the available systems. While most commercial PV cells rely on thick crystalline or poly-crystalline silicon wavers, research on thin-film tehnologies and on novel concepts with a variety of advanced approaches may yield a substantial improvement of the efficiency-to-cost ratio. In this context, the use of photonic nanostructures (especially for thin-film cells with wavelength-scale material thickness) is a promising approach in order to increase the PV conversion efficiency.
Our group is active in this field since 2008. Theoretical research is focussed on modelling light-matter interaction and electronic transport for the investigated systems, as well as in the design of wavelength-scale structures for application to wafer-based and thin-film silicon solar cells. We perform full optical and electrical modelling with various approaches, including anayltical models, RCWA (Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis) and Finite-Element Method with home-developed and commercial (Silvaco-Atlas) software. The experimental activity is mainly devoted to the optical and electro-optical characterization of materials and PV cells. Investigated systems include inorganic solar cells based on Silicon and on other materials (e.g., CIGS) as well as fluorescent concentrators based on organic materials. Advanced optical investigations with spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution are very useful for understanding the key factors determining the overal conversion efficiency and in view of improving PV cell performance.
Participants:
L.C. Andreani, A. Bozzola, D. Comoretto, S. Del Sorbo, S. Flores, M. Galli, P. Kowalczewski, M. Liscidini, M. Patrini, S. Rafizadeh
Former participants:
S. D'Agostino, M. Farina, C. Mura, S. Robertson, S. Zanotto
Collaborations:
ENI S.p.A., Research Center for Non-Conventional Energies - Istituto ENI Donegani, Novara
ST Microelectronics, Catania
Department of Materials Science, University of Milano Bicocca
Department of Physics, University of Genova
ENEA Centro Ricerche Portici
Department of Physics, University of York, U.K.
Istituto de Microelectronica de Madrid, IMM-CSIC, Spain
IMEC, Leuven, Belgium
Photovoltaic Materials and Devices, TU Delft, NL
Projects:
EU FP7 Marie Curie ITN Network 2011-2014 PROPHET - "Postgraduate Research in Photonics as an Enabling Technology" Responsible: L. C. Andreani. Status: Running.
ENI S.p.A. research contract 2011-2014 "Photonics for photovoltaics systems based on fluorescent concentrators". Responsible: L. C. Andreani. Status: Completed
Fondazione Cariplo 2010-2013 "Nanophotonics for thin-film photovoltaics" Responsible: L. C. Andreani. Status: Completed.
Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lombardia 2010-2011 "Laboratorio per il Fotovoltaico" Responsible: L. C. Andreani. Status: Completed.
ENI S.p.A. research contract 2009-2011 "Photonic crystals for photovoltaic cells". Responsible: L. C. Andreani. Status: Completed
Journal publications:
Response to “Comment on ‘Towards high efficiency thin-film crystalline silicon solar cells: The roles of light trapping and non-radiative recombinations’”,
A. Bozzola, P. Kowalczewski, and L.C. Andreani
Photonic light trapping and electrical transport in thin-film silicon solar cells,
L.C. Andreani, A. Bozzola, P. Kowalczewski, and M. Liscidini
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 135, 78-92 (2015). PDF
Light trapping and electrical transport in thin-film solar cells with randomly rough textures,
P. Kowalczewski, A. Bozzola, M. Liscidini, and L. C. Andreani
Towards high efficiency thin-film crystalline silicon solar cells: The roles of light trapping and non-radiative recombinations,
A. Bozzola, P. Kowalczewski, and L. C. Andreani
Cascade luminescent solar concentrators,
Sthy Flores Daorta, Antonio Proto, Roberto Fusco, Lucio Claudio Andreani, and Marco Liscidini
How to assess light trapping structures versus a Lambertian Scatterer for solar cells?,
C.S. Schuster, A. Bozzola, L. C Andreani, and T.F. Krauss
Light trapping in thin-film solar cells with randomly rough and hybrid textures,
P. Kowalczewski, M. Liscidini and L.C. Andreani
Broadband light trapping with disordered photonic structures in thin-film silicon solar cells,
A. Bozzola, M. Liscidini, and L. C. Andreani
Dual gratings for enhanced light trapping in thin-film solar cells by a layer-transfer technique,
C.S. Schuster, P. Kowalczewski, E.R. Martins, M. Patrini, M.G. Scullion, M. Liscidini, L. Lewis, C.r Reardon, L.C. Andreani, and T.F. Krauss
Engineering Gaussian disorder at rough interfaces for light trapping in thin-film solar cells,
P. Kowalczewski, M. Liscidini, and L. C. Andreani
The importance of light trapping in thin-film solar cells,
Lucio C. Andreani, Angelo Bozzola, M. Liscidini,
Photonic light-trapping versus Lambertian limits in thin film silicon solar cells with 1D and 2D periodic patterns,
A. Bozzola, M. Liscidini, and L. C. Andreani
Light trapping regimes in thin-film silicon solar cells with a photonic pattern,
S. Zanotto, M. Liscidini, and L.C. Andreani,
Conference papers:
Engineered Substrates for Thin-Film Solar Cells: Scattering Properties of 1D Roughness,
S. Del Sorbo, P. Kowalczewski, S. Pirotta, M. Galli, L.C. Andreani, C. Mennucci, C. Martella, M.C. Giordano, F. Buatier de Mongeot, L.V. Mercaldo, P. Delli Veneri
29th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (Amsterdam, 22-26 September 2014), paper no. 1BV.6.24, p. 123. PDF
Light-Trapping and Electrical Transport in Randomly Rough Thin-Film Solar Cells,
P. Kowalczewski, A. Bozzola, M. Liscidini, L.C. Andreani
29th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (Amsterdam, 22-26 September 2014), paper no. 1BV.6.56, p. 210. PDF
Disorder engineering for light trapping in thin-film solar cells,
P. Kowalczewski, M. Liscidini, and L. C. Andreani
28th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (Paris, 30 September - 4 October 2013), paper no. 1AV.1.27, p. 233. PDF
Impact of non-radiative recombinations in thin film solar cells with light trapping: an analytic model,
A. Bozzola, P. Kowalczewski, M. Farina, and L. C. Andreani
28th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (Paris, 30 September - 4 October 2013), paper no. 3DV.1.14, p. 648. PDF
A. Bozzola, M. Liscidini, L.C. Andreani,
in Proc. of the OSA Meeting on Renewable Energy and the Environment (Eindhoven, 11-14 November 2012), paper PM2C.2. PDF
P. Kowalczewski, M. Liscidini, L.C. Andreani,
in Proc. of the OSA Meeting on Renewable Energy and the Environment (Eindhoven, 11-14 November 2012), paper JM4B.6. PDF
Towards the Lambertian limit in thin film silicon solar cells with photonic structures,
A. Bozzola, P. Kowalczewski, M. Liscidini, and L. C. Andreani
27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (Frankfurt, 24-28 September 2012), paper no. 1.CV.8.27, p. 491. PDF
Towards CIGS solar cells with reduced film thickness: a study of optical properties and of photonic structures for light trapping,
L. C. Andreani, P. A. Kowalczewski, C. I. Mura, M. Patrini, M. Acciarri, S. Binetti, A. Sassella, S. Marchionna
27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (Frankfurt, 24-28 September 2012), paper no. 3CV.1.41, p. 2334. PDF
Light Trapping in Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells with Mono and Bidimensional Photonic Patterns,
A. Bozzola, M. Liscidini, and L. C. Andreani
OSA Meeting on Renewable Energy and the Environment, Optical Nanostructures and Advanced Materials for Photovoltaics (Austin, Texas, 2-3 November 2011), paper no. PWC1. PDF
Theoretical study of multilayer luminescent solar concentrators using a Monte Carlo Approach,
S. Flores Daorta, M. Liscidini, L.C. Andreani,P. Scudo, R. Fusco
26th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (Hamburg, 5-9 September 2011), paper no. 1CV.3.11, p. 264. PDF
Characterization of multilayer luminescent solar concentrators,
A. Bozzola, S. Flores Daorta, M. Galli, M. Patrini, L.C. Andreani, A. Alessi, R. Fusco, A. Proto, P. Scudo
26th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (Hamburg, 5-9 September 2011), paper no. 1CV.3.10, p. 259. PDF
Efficiency enhancement in thin-film silicon solar cells with a photonic lattice,
S. Zanotto, M. Liscidini, L.C. Andreani,
25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (Valencia, 6-10 September 2010), paper no. 1DV.2.66, p. 517. PDF