Creating electricity by reducing cost, Payback time and Carbon footprint - An exploitation of a novel method into manufacturing c-Si PV solar Cells

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project will develop and demonstrate a new method of making polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) deposited on plastic andglass subsrates for photovoltaic (PV) solar cell application. Poly-Si is a versatile material that is used extensively for energygeneration in solar panels. Current methods for producing poly-Si involve high temperatures above 600 degreescentigrade, so it is usually deposited on glass or metal substrates and involves energy expensive costs (57 %) for theextraction, purification of polysilcon for PV. This new method, using plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, willcarry out at temperatures below 350 degrees, which is within the range of some thermoplastic polymers. The process hasalready been demonstrated at laboratory scale within the Emerging Technology Research Centre at De Montfort Universityand a patent application has been granted . Moreover, it will reduce significantly costs and energy usage duringmanufacture of devices, and precursor to the UK PV manufacturing industires. This project will fully optimise the processgranular crystal size of silicon with consistent quality for Photovaoltaic solar cell application.