You are on page 1of 5

European Pupils

Magazine
Mihai Sopronyi
Politehnica University, Bucharest, Romania
mihai.sopronyi@yahoo.com

Solar Spectrum Challenges: Provocarea spectrului solar:


Photovoltaics Fotovoltaicele
Renewable energy means the conversion of Energii Regener-
natural resources, such as sunlight, geothermal abile inseamna transfor-
heat, wind power, wave power, which are natural, mare a resurselor natu-
meaning they are naturally renewable – are replaced rale, precum lumina so-
through natural processes with the passing of time. lara, caldura geoter-
Among all types of renewable energy, the one that mala, puterea vantului,
is from the Sun is the most significant because the puterea valurilor, care
incidence solar energy on the Earth’s surface in an sunt natural regener-
hour is larger than the one used by the entire Earth’s abile, adica sunt inlo-
population in one year; through solar panels this en- cuite prin procese natu-
ergy can be used for heating water, but also for elec- rale odata cu trecere tim-
tricity production; through the greenhouses, solar pului. Dintre toate tipu-
energy is used in agriculture, too. rile de energii regener- Fig. 1
A disadvantage of this technology is that not all abile, cea provenita de la Soare este una din cele
the light spectrum emitted by Sun can be captured. mai semnificative deoarece energia solara incidenta
An estimated calculation shows that on the surface of pe suprafata Pamantului intr-o ora este mai mare
the Sun the density of energy is about 62MW/m2 and decat cea folosita de catre intreaga populatie a
on the Earth’s surface arrives only about 1353 W/m2. planetei intr-un an; prin intermediul panourilor so-
This energy reduction is largely due to the clouds, lare, aceasta poate fi folosita si pentru incalzirea
aerosol and atmosphere molecules, but also due to the apei dar si pentru producerea de energie electrica;
incidence angle of the Sun radiations. (fig. 2) prin intermediul serelor, energia solara este lumina
spectrala emisa de Soare poate captata.
Un calcul estimativ arata ca pe suprafata Soare-
lui densitatea de energie este aproximativ de 62MW/
m2, iar la suprafata Pamantului 1353W/m2. Aceasta
reducere a energiei este datorata in mare parte a no-
rilor,aerosolilor si moleculelordin atmosfera, dar si a
unghiului de incidenta al radiatiilor solare (fig.2).
Celula solara este o suprafata compusa din mai
multe straturi, care transforma energia solara in dife-

Fig. 2
A solar cell is a surface composed of several
layers, which converts solar energy into different
forms of energy such as electricity or heat (fig. 1)
Using this method of converting sunlight radiation
in to electricity, solar cells are used in different tech-
nologies such as:
 The concentration of solar power - instead of
using fossil fuels to heat a fluid powering tur- Fig. 3
40
European Pupils
Magazine
Solar Spectrum Challenges: Photovoltaics

bines for generating electricity, this technol-


ogy uses solar power harvested by huge mir-
rors U shaped
 Passive solar technology - the technology con-
sists in designing buildings with large win-
dows on the South side, walls and floors that
are made of black painted materials, or having Fig. 4
Material Color Thickness Efficiency

0.00001 mm +
Amorphous silicon Red-blue, Black 5-8%
glass substrate 1-3 mm

0.008 mm+
Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) Dark green, Black 6 - 9 %/modul
glass substrate 3 mm

Copper-Indium- 0.003 mm+


Black 7,5 - 9,5 %/modul
Diselenide (CIS) glass substrate 3 mm

Apex (polycrystaline Si) solar Blue, with AR coating, silver-grey


De la 0.03 pana la 0.1 mm 9,5 %
cells without AR coating
Hybrid silicon (HIT) solar
Dark blue, black 0.02 mm 18 %
cell
Monocrystaline dendritic web
Blue, with AR coating 0.13 mm 13 %
Si solar cells
EFG (Edge Defined Film fed
Blue, with AR coating 0.28 mm 14 %
Growth)
Dark blue, black with AR
Monocrystalline Si solar cells (antireflexive) coating, grey with- 0.3 mm 15 - 18 %
out AR coating
Blue with AR coating, silver-grey
Polycrystalline Si solar cells 0.3 mm 13 - 15 %
without AR coating

Polycrystalline transparent Si Blue with AR coating, silver-grey


0.3 mm 10 %
solar cells without AR coating

Polycrystalline ribbon Si so- Blue, with AR coating, silver-grey


0.3 mm 12 %
lar cells without AR coating

in their interior barrels with water that absorb rite forme de energie precum electricitate sau caldu-
the Sun heat during the day time and release it ra (fig.1).
during the night (fig.3).  Folosind aceasta metoda de conversie, lumina
 Solar hot water: in this technology the power solara este adoptata in diferite tehnologii pre-
systems have two components: a solar panel cum:
that gathers energy and a water reservoir. The  Concentrarea puterii solare: in loc sa foloseas-
collector is usually composed of a box with a ca combustibili fosili pentru a incalzii un fluid
transparent face towards the sun, and in the care pune in miscare turbinele pentru generare
box there are tubes that are crossed through by de electricitate, tehnologia foloseste oglinzi
different fluids (water or antifreeze solution). uriase in forma de U
41
European Pupils
Magazine
Solar Spectrum Challenges: Photovoltaics

 Tehnologia solara pasiva: aceasta consta in


proiectarea cladirilor cu ferestre foarte mari pe
partea de Sud, iar peretii si podeaua sunt fabri-
cate din material vopsite in negru, sau au in
interior rezervoare cu apa,care absorb caldura
Soarelui pe timp de zi, si o elibereaza noaptea
(fig.3)
 Apa calda solara: in aceasta tehnologie siste-
mele principale au doua componente: un pa-
Fig. 5 nou care strange energia solara si un rezervor.
 Solar photovoltaic technology: consisting in Colectorul este de obicei compus dintr-o cutie,
the production of electricity of a solar cell care are o fata transparenta spre soare, iar in
when exposed to energy radiations (fig. 4). At cutie se afla tuburi prin care trec diferite fluide
this moment there are several variants of (apa sau antigel)
photovoltaic cells in various thicknesses, with  Tehnologia solar fotovoltaica: consta in pro-
different composition and different yields ductia de electricitate a unei celule solare cand
(Table 1). este expusa la energie radianta (Fig.4) In pre-
The first step in manufacturing solar cells is the zent exista mai multe variante de celule foto-
preparation of optimal silicon. The raw silicon, voltaice, pe diferite grosimi, avand compozitii
which is in the form of quartz sand or crushed diferite si randamente diferite (tabel 1).
quartz (fig. 5, 6), is placed in an electric arc fur- Primul pas in fabri-
nace, where a carbon arc discharge is applied to re- carea celulelor solare
lease the oxygen. The product is CO2 (carbon diox- este prepararea siliciului
ide) and a 99% purity fused silica. Solar cells are optim. Siliciul in stare
made from silicon ingots, which are obtained by bruta (Fig. 5,6), care este
Czochralski method (fig.7). sub forma de nisip
It is a fairly a simple process that involves in- cuarţit sau cuarţ
serting a silicon tip in a bath of molten silicon. As it Fig. 6 zdrobit, si este plasat
withdraws and turns, it takes the shape of a cylindri- intr-un cuptor cu arc electric, unde un arc de carbon
cal ingot having 100% purity, because the impuri- se aplica pentru eliberarea oxigenul.Rezulta CO2
ties tend to remain in the molten silica bay. The in- (dioxid de carbon) si siliciu topit de puritate 99%.
gots are then cut according to preference: with a cir- Celulele solare sunt facute din lingouri de siliciu,
cular, rectangular or hexagonal surface (Fig. 8). care se obtinan prin metoda Czochralski (Fig. 7).
In the next step in the process the silicon wafer Este un proces destul de simplu, care consta in
is doped (treated) with P (phosphorus) and B introducerea unui varf de siliciu intr-o baie de siliciu
(boron) in order to have a crystal structure capable topit. Pe masura ce se retrage si se roteste, se formea-
of conducting electricity. Boron is introduced into za un lingou cilindric care are puritate 100%, deoarece
the Czochralski process, and after that the disks are impuritatile tind sa ramane in baia de topitura. Lin-
placed in an oven, where they will be heated near to gourile apoi sunt taiete dupa preferinta: cu suprafata
the melting temperature of silicon (1410 °C) in the circulara, rectangulara sau hexagonala (Fig. 8).
presence of phosphorus gas. In pasul urmator, discrurile de siliciu sunt
To make
the connection,
from the solar
cells that pro-
duce the power,
and the deposit Fig. 7
42
European Pupils
Magazine
Solar Spectrum Challenges: Photovoltaics

of the current produced, strips of metal are used, dopate (tratate) cu P (fosfor) si B (bor) pentru a
usually palladium/silver, nickel or copper. They avea o structura cristalina capabila sa conduca
are obtained by high vacuum thermal. electricitatea. Borul este introdus in procesul
The next problem to be solved is to increase the Czochralski, iar dupa acea dischetele sunt introduse
capacity of the doped silicon disks to absorb light. Be- intr-un cuptor, unde vor fi incalzite pana aproape de
cause they are shiny and will reflect 35% of the temperatura de topire a siliciului (1410 °C) in
sunlight, a thin layer deposition of TiO2 (titanium di- prezenta gazelor de fosfor.
oxide) will be applied on their surface. On this purpose Pentru a se face
vacuum thermal vaporization will be used. legatura, atat dintre
This method involves heating metal until evapora- celulele care produc
tion, where the molecules will move within the high curentul,la depozitul
vacuum chamber (fig. 9), and will be adsorbed on the de curent produs, se
desired surface. Solid metal is placed in a container folosesc fasii de
with a very high melting point (usually W), placed be- Fig. 8 metal, de obicei din
tween two electrodes. As the electric current flows the paladiu/argint, nichel sau cupru. Acestea se obtin
metal will heat up and will go from solid to liquid and prin evaporare termica in vid inalt.
then to gaseous state, due to the Joule effect. Urmatoarea problema care trebuie rezolvata este
Because the room is highly vacuumed the mole- capacitatea dischetelor de siliciu dopat de a absoarbi
cules have a long free mean path from the container to lumina. Datorita faptului ca acestea sunt lucioase si vor
the target, and because the latter one has a temperature reflecta 35% din lumina solara, li se va aplica o depunere
lower than that of the evaporated molecules, they will de strat subtire de TiO2 (dioxid de titan). Pentru acest
coat the solar cell’s surface. scop se va aplica evaporarea termica in vid inalt. Aceasta
After production, the next problem to be solved on metoda presupune incalzirea metalului pana la evaporare,
PV energy issue is its storage. One method to store unde moleculele se vor deplasa in camera de vid inalt (fig.
this energy is to use Vanadium-redox batteries (fig. 9) vor fi adsorbite pe suprafata dorita. Metalul solid este
10). This type of battery uses as electrolyte melted salts pus intr-un recipient cu punctul de topire foarte inalt(de
of vanadium in different oxidation states and sulfuric obicei este folosit W), prins intre 2 electrozi. In momentul
acid. The electric potential of solar cells is about 0.5- in care trece curentul electric, metalul se va incalzi si va
0.6 volts and the output power and intensity is propor- trece din stare solida in stare lichida si apoi gazoasa,
tional to the surface but also to the solar power radia- datorita efectului Joule.
tion.
Facing the problems connected with the emis-
sion of CO2, more and more countries have started
to move from power plants based on fossil fuels to
solar power plants and solar farms. At the moment,
the world leader at using electricity from solar cells
is Germany. Despite the low level of solar irradia-
tion (fig.9) the German government decided to in-
crease the installation surfaces with solar panels by
lowering taxes on production and installation. As
the equivalent energy produced through solar panels
grows by 1000 MW/year, the taxes will continu-
ously decrease by 1-3%.
Fig. 9
 In the year 2007, the European Union leaders
have started a project named 20-20-20. This pro- Datorita faptului ca in camera este vid inalt
ject has as main objective that by the year 2020, (adica lipsa de alte molecule de aer si impuritati),
to achieve 3 targets: moleculele strabat drumul de la recipient catre
43
European Pupils
Magazine
Solar Spectrum Challenges: Photovoltaics

 To reduce the emissions that determine the tinta,si datorita faptului ca aceasta din urma are
greenhouse effect by 20% below the 1990 level temperatura mai mica decat a moleculelor
 The energy consumption of the EU from renew- evaporate, acestea vor adera la suprafata celului
able energy to be at 20% solare.
 The energy consumption of the EU from classic
power plants reduced by 20%

Fig. 10
Dupa producere, urmatoarea problema care trebuie
care rezolvata este stocarea energie produsa de PV. O
Fig. 11 metoda de stocare a acesteia este folosirea bateriilor
Vanadium-redox (fig. 10). O astfel de baterie
Bibliography foloseste in electrozi acid sulfuric si saruri de vanadiu
w w w . r e n e w a b l e e n e rg yw o r l d . c o m / r e a / n ew s / in diferite stari de oxidare.
article/2010/06/germany-to-raise-solar-target-for- Potentialul unei celule solare este in jur de 0.5-0.6
2010-adjust-tariffs volti, iar puterea si intensitatea de iesire este
www.nrel.gov/learning/re_solar.html proportinala cu suprafata dar si puterea radiatilor
www.thesolarled.com/k109-solar-cells-summary-and solare.
-history-of-solar-cells.html Din cauza problemelor legate de emisiile de CO2,
www.solar.promacht.ro/panouri.html tot mai multe tari au inceput sa treaca de la centrale
www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Solar-Cell.html electrice pe baza de combustibili fosili la centrale
www.collinslanguage.com/ solare si ferme solare.
h t t p: / / e c . e u r o p a . e u / c l i m a / p o l i c i e s / b r i e f/ e u / Momentan liderul mondial la folosirea de
package_en.htm electricitate provenite din celule solare este Germania.
In ciuda nivelului de iradiere solare scazut (fig.11)
Iconography guvernul german sa creasca suprafetele instalate cu
www.pvresources.com/en/technologies.php panouri solarestimuland producatorii si cosumatorii
www.nrel.gov/learning/re_solar.html prin scaderea taxelor pentru productia si instalarea de
www.imagesco.com/articles/photovoltaic/ celule solare; iar pe masura ce instalarea creste cu
photovoltaic-pg4.html fiecare 1000MW/an, scade in continuu taxele cu 1-3%.
www.hrpv.com/?  Incepand cu anul 2007, liderii Uniunii
id=5&n=18&subaction=detail&lang= Europene au pornit un proiect numit 20-20-20.
www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Solar-Cell.html Acest proiect are ca principal obiectiv ca pana in
www.worldscibooks.com/etextbook/p139/ anul 2020, sa indeplineasca 3 tinte:
p139_chap4.pdf  Sa reduca emisiile care provoaca efecte de sera
www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-report/ cu 20% sub nivelul de 1990
solar-report/energy-storage-and-solar-  Consumul de energie al UE din energii
power.html regenerabile sa atinga 20%
www.ecse.rpi.edu/~schubert/Light-Emitting-Diodes  Consumul de energie primara sa fie redus cu
-dot-org/chap18/chap18.htm 20%
44

You might also like