Novel Structure for High Efficiency CdTe thin-film Photovoltaic
Opportunity
Available for Licensing
TRL: 5
IP Status
US Utility Patent Pending (Not Yet Published)
Inventors
Amit Munshi
Ramesh Pandey
Akash Shah
Walajabad Sampath
At A Glance
Researchers at Colorado State University have developed a novel passivated carrier selective contact and doped absorber structure for high efficiency CdTe thin-film photovoltaics (PV) achieving efficiencies greater than 22%.
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Background
Sustainable energy resources have presented many opportunities and challenges in modern society. One source of sustainable energy can be found in solar cells, which can produce electricity when exposed to light based on the components within the cell. Thin-film solar cells are a second-generation form of the solar cell which can be made by depositing one or more thin layers on a substrate. Thin-film solar cells can significantly reduce the cost of energy when compared to coal, nuclear, gas, and diesel energy sources. However, while thin-film solar cells require only a fraction of the semiconductor materials required by their predecessors, thin-film solar cells tend to be less efficient than the conventional, first-generation solar cells.
Various improvements have been made to thin-film solar cells over the past several decades, yet commercially, solar cells generate energy at ~18% efficiency with ~28 mA/cm2 short-circuit current and 850 mV open-circuit voltage.
Benefits
- Lower cost
- Fast throughput in production
- Scalable methods
- Environmentally friendly
Applications
- Fabrication of high efficiency photovoltaic deices/modules/panels for commercial application
- Can be used in bifacial solar applications as well
- X-ray and radiation detectors
Last updated: September 2021