PFI-TT: Next-generation hybrid solar cells enabling lower cost, safe, and environmentally friendly floating photovoltaic installations

这一创新-技术转化伙伴关系(PFI-TT)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是使太阳能电池能够在水中使用，而不仅仅是在陆地上使用。太阳能光伏能源的增长突显了土地使用、稀缺性和成本竞争的日益严重的问题。浮式光伏发电是解决这一问题的一种方法；在现有水体上部署太阳能组件可以减少对陆上安装的需求。然而，高昂的成本抑制了这种可再生能源的发展。这个项目提出了一种更轻、更便宜的新系统。此外，这些组件采用无毒和环保材料制造，减少了其他新型光伏技术污染水体的风险。拟议中的项目为太阳能光伏发电提供了成本更低、重量更轻的替代方案。这种混合光伏技术将创新的聚合物科学与硅相结合，提供更便宜、更轻、更高效的柔性模块。硅是当今使用的最丰富和最重要的光伏材料。最近的计算机模型模拟表明，所提出的聚合物沉积方法(氧化化学气相沉积)可以产生高导电性，当与优化的硅表面处理相结合时，功率效率可以超过20%。此外，这种混合方法允许聚合物机械地支撑脆弱的硅衬底，从而能够制造由塑料薄膜而不是玻璃面板封装的柔性模块(以应对风荷载)。该项目验证了混合光伏技术在加速退化条件下的高效率、机械稳定性和耐用性，并创建了在相关环境中进行测试的原型。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to enable solar cell use on water rather than just on land. The growth of solar photovoltaic energy has highlighted the increasing problem of competing land use, scarcity, and cost. Floating photovoltaics have emerged as a solution to this problem; deploying solar modules on existing bodies of water lessens the need for land-based installations. However, the high cost has inhibited growth of this renewable energy source. This project advances a new system that is lighter and cheaper. Furthermore, the modules are fabricated with non-toxic and environmentally friendly materials, mitigating the risk posed by other novel photovoltaic technologies of contaminating the bodies of water. The proposed project advances lower cost lightweight alternatives for solar photovoltaic generation. This hybrid photovoltaic technology combines innovative polymer science with silicon, the most abundant and significant photovoltaic material in use today, to provide cheaper, lighter, and more efficient flexible modules. Recent computer model simulations indicate that the proposed polymer deposition method (oxidative chemical vapor deposition) generates high conductivity and when coupled with an optimized surface treatment of silicon, the power efficiencies can exceed 20%. Furthermore, this hybrid approach allows the polymer to mechanically support the brittle silicon substrate, enabling the fabrication of flexible modules (to address wind load) encapsulated by plastic films rather than glass panels. This project validates the high efficiency, mechanical robustness, and durability under accelerated degradation conditions of the hybrid photovoltaic technology and creates a prototype for testing in a relevant environment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.