Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1679265 | CIRP Annals - Manufacturing Technology | 2014 | 23 Pages |
Abstract
Solar cells gained significant interest recently due to the rapid increase in fossil fuel costs and renewed attention to sustainability. The effectiveness of a solar cell in energy harvesting hinges on three key characteristics: efficiency of energy conversion, reliability and life expectancy, and cost. All three attributes are critically influenced by surface and interface properties inherent in the design and manufacture of these devices. This paper starts with an exposition of solar cell manufacturing, followed by discussion of efficiency enhancement, reliability issues, and cost and energy footprint reduction. The role of surface and interface modifications in realizing such improvements is assessed.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Engineering
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Authors
Abhijit Chandra, Grant Anderson, Shreyes Melkote, Wei Gao, Han Haitjema, Konrad Wegener,