Light management for high efficiency solar roadways

高效太阳能道路的光管理

• 批准号: 544042-2019
• 负责人: Uhl, AlexanderRoland
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Engage Grants Program
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=680849
• 关键词: Light; management; efficiency; solar; roadways

Solar energy conversion to clean and renewable electricity by means of solar cells has been identified by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) as one of the key technologies to meet global CO2 reduction targets and mitigate global warming. As our society replaces fossil-combustion based energy with clean electricity, innovation related to integrated and cost-efficient solar technology is needed. Solar Earth Technologies (SET) is working to commercialize road-integrated solar panels or solar roads, which are poised to provide clean energy to the increasing fleet of electric vehicles. Calculations in the United States have shown that an area comparable to today's road coverage is needed to provide the entire country with solar electricity. It is thus a concept that could not only be economical but also impactful on large scale. SET is currently working on a road panel product that will integrate high-efficiency Silicon solar modules for energy generation. Current commercially available solar cells are brittle and optimized for tilt mounting, which are features not conducive for road integration. New solutions that allows for efficient photon collection in ground mounted applications need to be found. SET is further working to develop novel thin-film monocrystalline solar cells, that would increase materials utilization, reduce module energy payback time, and bring down module cost. The indirect bandgap and therefore poor absorption of Silicon, however, necessitates the use of intelligent light management structures to increase the absorption length of photons. Scientists at UBC-O's Laboratory for Solar Energy and Fuels (LSEF) and SET will address these challenges by investigating novel concepts of light trapping features that can be employed post processing, via macroscopic structures, or during processing, via microscopic structures. Research will encompass the evaluation of feasibility and economy of light trapping features for Silicon solar cells through theoretical modelling while at a later stage, optimized concepts will be practically realized and characterized in local laboratory facilities at UBC-O.

通过太阳能电池将太阳能转换为清洁和可再生电力已被政府间气候变化专门委员会（IPCC）确定为实现全球二氧化碳减排目标和减缓全球变暖的关键技术之一。随着我们的社会用清洁电力取代基于化石燃烧的能源，需要与集成且具有成本效益的太阳能技术相关的创新。 Solar Earth Technologies (SET) 正在致力于将道路集成太阳能电池板或太阳能道路商业化，为不断增加的电动汽车提供清洁能源。美国的计算表明，需要与今天的道路覆盖面积相当的区域才能为整个国家提供太阳能电力。因此，这是一个不仅经济而且具有大规模影响力的概念。 SET 目前正在开发一款路板产品，该产品将集成高效硅太阳能模块用于发电。目前市售的太阳能电池很脆，并且针对倾斜安装进行了优化，这些特性不利于道路集成。需要找到能够在地面安装应用中高效收集光子的新解决方案。 SET正在进一步致力于开发新型薄膜单晶太阳能电池，这将提高材料利用率，缩短组件能源回收时间，并降低组件成本。然而，硅的间接带隙和因此吸收性差，需要使用智能光管理结构来增加光子的吸收长度。 UBC-O 太阳能和燃料实验室 (LSEF) 和 SET 的科学家将通过研究光捕获功能的新概念来解决这些挑战，这些概念可以通过宏观结构用于后处理，或通过微观结构在处理过程中使用。研究将包括通过理论建模评估硅太阳能电池的光捕获功能的可行性和经济性，而在稍后阶段，优化的概念将在 UBC-O 的当地实验室设施中得到实际实现和表征。