Development of a Novel Tunnel-junction-free Concentrator Cell and its Evaluation for a Smart Windows Application

我们计划开发一种新型的太阳能电池，它将利用太阳光发电，效率超过30%。这至少是目前用于为路边标志供电的电池的两倍，与为太空中的卫星供电的最高效率的串联电池不相上下。然而，与串联相比，我们的电池有许多优点，特别是没有隧道结。这意味着它们可以应对建筑物上太阳光的强度和光谱含量的巨大变化，以及降低太阳能发电成本的聚光系统。我们的手机特别适合一种令人兴奋的新应用--智能窗户。这些是双层玻璃幕墙，包含一系列小型塑料透镜，这些透镜跟随太阳的运动，将阳光聚焦到小型、不显眼的太阳能电池上。消除了阳光直射，减少了空调负荷，而智能窗户为建筑提供了联合供热和电力(CHP)。即使在伦敦，所产生的电力也可以为一面朝南的墙后的办公室供电。智能窗户还允许无眩光漫反射阳光进入房间，这是电脑屏幕的理想照明。这种电池也将是集成到混合热电联产系统的理想选择，该系统从集中的阳光中提供电力和热水，并以天然气为后备。这种新的设备结合了帝国理工学院与EPSRC国家III-V技术中心合作开发的新型纳米结构太阳能电池。可持续技术中心将对新成立的英国公司SolarStructure的原型集中器的电池性能进行表征，SolarStructure最近成立，目的是制造智能窗户。

We propose to develop a novel type of solar cell that will generate electricity from sunlight with efficiency above 30%. This is at least twice the efficiency of the cells currently used to power roadside signs and comparable with the highest efficiency tandem cells which power satellites in space. However, our cell offers many advantages over the tandem, in particular the absence of a tunnel-junction. This means they can cope with the large variations in the intensity and spectral content of sunlight on buildings and in the light-concentrating systems which reduce the cost of solar electricity. Our cell is particularly suited to an exciting new application - smart windows. These are double-glazed facades containing arrays of small plastic lenses which follow the sun's movement and focus sunlight onto small, unobtrusive solar cells. Direct sunlight is removed and the air-conditioning load reduced, while the smart windows provide combined heat and power (CHP) for the building. Even in London the electricity generated would power the office behind a south facing wall. The smart windows also allow glare-free diffuse sunlight into the room, which is ideal lighting for a computer screen. The cells will also be ideal for integration into hybrid CHP systems that provide electricity and hot water from concentrated sunlight with a natural gas backup. The new device incorporates the novel, nanostructured solar cell that the Imperial group have developed in collaboration with the EPSRC National Centre for III-V Technologies. The Centre for Sustainable Technologies will characterise the cell performance on prototype concentrators of the new UK company SolarStructure, which has recently been formed to manufacture smart windows.