DESEMAT - Design of Efficient Solar Energy (completed)

The solar energy resource is enormous and corresponds to almost 6,000 fold the current global consumption of primary energy (13.7TW). Thus, solar energy has the potential of becoming a major component of a sustainable energy portfolio aimed at reducing the global emissions of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Nevertheless, the current use of this energy resource represents less than 1% of the total electricity production from renewable sources.

About the project

From a scientific and technical viewpoint, the development of new technologies with higher conversion efficiencies and low production costs is a key requirement for enabling the deployment of solar energy at a large scale. So, the main objective of the present project is to understand the fundamental physical properties of optoelectronic materials useful for new generation solar cells using state-of-the-art density functional calculations and gained knowledge will be transferred to experimentalists at UoO to optimize potential materials for highly efficient solar cell. We aim at studying role of surfaces, interfaces, and defects on optoelectronic properties of bulk and thin film nanostructures to elucidate the structure-property relationships of these materials. This will help to build competence in nanoscale design of efficient energy generation materials. In order. to obtain more efficient and cheap solar-energy materials, we propose a four-pronged approach suchs as (i):Make transparent conducting oxides film over existing Si solar cells; (ii) Band-gap engineering, and (iii) Forming variable band gap multi-junction solar cells, and (iv) Optical properties of TCOs.

Objectives

Explore energy-efficient solar energy materials using accurate computational methods.

Build competence on efficient-energy materials to realize Norway's aspiration to become leader in
environmental-friendly energy utilization technologies.

  • Develop new materials to improve the solar cell efficiencies
  • Identify potential p-type transparent conducting oxides
  • Through band gap engineering harmonize the photoelectric generation to improve solar cell efficiency,
  • Generate the fundamental knowledge concerning the band gap shifting by doping and surface chemistry modification, (e) Divulge possible ways to improve the interface effects and band edge offset in multi-junction solar cell, and (f) Train young researchers for the industries.

Financing

The project is financed by the Norwegian Research Council.

Published Mar. 19, 2013 10:15 AM - Last modified July 25, 2017 4:48 PM

Contact

Project Leader

Helmer Fjellvåg

Participants

Detailed list of participants