PFI:AIR-RA: Advanced Thin-Film Photovoltaics for Sustainable Energy

该PFI：AIR研究联盟项目的重点是翻译和转让更高效的碲化镉（CdTe）光伏（PV）技术，这些技术来自下一代光化学中心（NGPV）先进材料加工和设备的专业知识和发现，NGPV是NSF资助的工业和大学合作研究中心。 CdTe光伏目前在世界许多地方的发电方面具有竞争力（例如，无补贴的公用事业规模项目的成本为7-9美分/千瓦时），并且成本正在迅速下降。然而，这项工作的目标是将CdTe技术推进到太阳能在所有地区都是一种有竞争力的能源，对于个人房主和各种应用来说，现在被认为太昂贵而不能用电。 为了实现这一目标，该奖项下提出的工作将使器件效率显著提高，同时还解决了降低成本的制造方法。 这可能会对进一步发展美国的CdTe产业产生直接影响，该产业具有显著的经济增长和创造就业机会的潜力。 此外，这项研究的结果将带来具有成本效益的机会，用光伏技术取代温室气体排放技术，并为环境带来相应的好处。将得到加强的创新生态系统包括CdTe光伏技术领域的所有领先集团。拟议的项目将由科罗拉多州立大学（CSU）领导，该大学在碲化镉光伏研究方面有着悠久的成功历史，是NGPV的创始成员。主要的研究合作伙伴和第三方投资者将是第一太阳能公司，美国最大的太阳能电池板制造商。 CSU还将加入英国拉夫堡大学可再生能源系统中心（CREST），美国国家可再生能源实验室（NREL）和材料供应商5 N Plus。 学生将获得创业和技术翻译经验，通过与行业合作，他们的研究项目和正式的学生培训，在创新，创业和技术转让。该项目解决了从研究发现到商业应用的以下技术差距。该项目将推进CSU最先进的沉积系统，并追求两条独立的路线，以实现更高效率的制造友好型电池。 第一条路线将是推进独特器件结构的研究，使其商业化，第二条路线将是开发适用于多结电池的具有更高带隙的PV器件。 此外，将对这些先进器械进行详细表征。拟议的努力将有一个清晰的视线，以大规模生产，并有可能显着提高效率的单结和多结CdTe基太阳能电池。

This PFI: AIR Research Alliance project focuses on the translation and transfer of higher efficiency Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) technologies that are derived from the expertise and discoveries in advanced materials processing and devices from the Next Generation Photovoltaics Center (NGPV), a NSF funded Industry and University Co-Operative Research Center. CdTe PV is currently competitive for generating electricity in many parts of the world (e.g. 7-9 cents/kWhr from utility scale projects without subsidy) and the costs are decreasing rapidly. However, the objective of this work is to advance the CdTe technology to the point where solar is a competitive source of energy in all regions for individual home owners and a variety of applications which are now considered too expensive to be done electrically. To achieve this, the work proposed under this award will enable a significant increase in device efficiency while also addressing manufacturing methods to reduce costs. This could have a direct impact on further developing the U.S. based CdTe industry with the potential for significant economic growth and job creation. In addition, results from this research will lead to cost-effective opportunities to displace greenhouse-gas emitting technologies with PV technology and corresponding benefits to the environment. The innovation ecosystem that will be enhanced includes all the leading groups in CdTe PV technology space. The proposed project will be led by Colorado State University (CSU), which has a long history of successful CdTe PV research and is a founding member of the NGPV. The primary research partner and third-party investor will be First Solar, Inc., the largest U.S. manufacturer of solar panels. CSU will also be joined by the Center for Renewable Energy Systems at Loughborough university in UK (CREST), the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and material supplier 5N Plus. Students will gain entrepreneurial and technology translation experience through working with industry on their research projects and formal student training in innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer. This project addresses the following technology gaps as it translates from research discovery toward commercial application. The project will advance CSU's state-of-the-art deposition systems and pursue two separate routes to higher-efficiency manufacturing-friendly cells. The first route will be to advance the research on unique device structures to move them to commercialization, and the second will be to develop PV devices with a higher bandgap suitable for multi-junction cells. In addition, detailed characterization of these advanced devices will be performed. The proposed effort will have a clear line of sight to mass production and has the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of both single-junction and multi-junction CdTe-based solar cells.