Abstract
One of the main problems of renewable energies is storage of the energy carrier. For long-term storage, solar fuels seem to be a good option. Direct solar water splitting could play an important role in the production of these solar fuels. One of the main challenges of this process is the charge separation and collection at the interfaces. The knowledge on photovoltaic (PV) junctions can be used to tackle this challenge. In this work, the use of doped layers to enhance the electric field in an a-SiC:H photocathode, and the use of thin-film silicon multijunction devices to achieve a stand-alone solar water splitting device are discussed. Using a p-i-n structure as a-SiC:H photocathode, a current density of 10mA/cm2 is achievable. The p-i-n structure proposed also indicates the suitability of traditional PV structures for solar water splitting. In addition, hybrid devices, including a silicon heterojunction PV device, are proposed. A combination of the a-SiC:H photocathode with a nc-Si:H/c-Si is demonstrated and potential STH efficiencies of 7.9% have been achieved. Furthermore, a purely PV approach such as a triple junction a-Si:H/nc-Si:H/nc-Si:H solar cell is demonstrated, with solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies of 9.8%.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | 2016 IEEE 43rd Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) |
Publisher | IEEE |
Pages | 3620-3624 |
Number of pages | 5 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-1-5090-2724-8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Nov 2016 |
Event | PVSC 2016: 43rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - Portland, OR, United States Duration: 5 Jun 2016 → 10 Jun 2016 Conference number: 43 http://www.ieee-pvsc.org/PVSC44/ |
Conference
Conference | PVSC 2016 |
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Abbreviated title | PVSC 2016 |
Country/Territory | United States |
City | Portland, OR |
Period | 5/06/16 → 10/06/16 |
Internet address |
Bibliographical note
Accepted Author ManuscriptKeywords
- Cathodes
- Photovoltaic cells
- Junctions
- Current measurement
- PIN photodiodes
- Semiconductor device measurement
- Silicon