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Here we have collected relevant articles and publications for you to get inspiration and knowledge about transparent solar cells (TPV) and sustainability.
To enable new markets — the key to competitiveness
Medium, March 14, 2022
by Per Edström
New applications of solar power emerge thanks to how photovoltaics has evolved over time. New article in Medium on why transparency is a competitive advantage. Read full article here!
Real-world use cases for batteryless IoT sensors
This article by Onio is great in depicting use cases to understand why IoT sensors should become self-powered to really unleash their true potential. Read full article here!
Direct Plasmonic Solar Cell Efficiency Dependence on Spiro-OMeTAD Li-TFSI Content
Nonomaterials, Dec. 8, 2021
by Jacinto Sá et.al.
The proliferation of the internet of things (IoT) and other low-power devices demands the development of energy harvesting solutions to alleviate IoT hardware dependence on single-use batteries, making their deployment more sustainable. The propagation of energy harvesting solutions is strongly associated with technical performance, cost and aesthetics, with the latter often being the driver of adoption. The general abundance of light in the vicinity of IoT devices under their main operation window enables the use of indoor and outdoor photovoltaics as energy harvesters.
From those, highly transparent solar cells allow an increased possibility to place a sustainable power source close to the sensors without significant visual appearance. Read full article here!
We need a holistic approach to certify sustainability
Medium, Aug. 26, 2021
by Susanne Segeblad
We need to improve how to assess and certify sustainability, taking it from material and recycling to considering the entire product life cycle. Will a more holistic approach give us a better cost benefit calculation to give us a true value on sustainability? Read article here.
Estimating Occupancy Levels in Enclosed Spaces Using Environmental Variables
Article in MDPI, Nov 18, 2020
by Andree Vela et al.
The results show that the prediction of occupancy levels can be made by using standard indoor sensors for measuring temperature, humidity, and pressure values and that this can provide an accuracy of occupancy level of at least 97%. Read article here.
Why local production is gaining ground and companies like Peafowl Solar Power are in the forefront?
Medium, April 27, 2021
by Susanne Segeblad
We can gain a lot by producing locally. Everything from reduced transport CO2 emissions to securing supply of critical goods and less conversion losses in energy transmissions are examples of benefits from producing what we need, when and where we need it. Is this perhaps where we are heading? Read article here.
What can wine tasting teach us about solar cell transparency?
Medium, Feb. 10, 2021
by Cecilia Tilli
A great example of how to transfer knowledge and vocabulary from one area of interest to another! Read about why clarity and colour is critical both when visually inspecting wine and when assessing transparency in solar cells. Read article here.
Phonon-Assisted Hot Carrier Generation in Plasmonic Semiconductor Systems
Yocefu Hattori, Jie Meng, Kaibo Zheng, Ageo Meier de Andrade, Jolla Kullgren, Peter Broqvist, Peter Nordlander and Jacinto Sá
A new technical feature that recently was demonstrated in the lab is the resonance process in the plasmonic light absorption, where the plasmonic materials actually use heat to promote electrical charge creation and improve solar cell performance as temperature increase. This is interesting since solar cell performance is known to be sensitive to higher temperature, reducing the overall power output. The discovery opens the possibility for solar cells that can operate under more extreme thermal conditions. Read more here.
Using Solar Cells indoors
Medium, Nov. 30, 2020
by Per Edström
Did you know that our solar cells work indoors? Read about how and the advantages of producing energy close to where it is used. Read more here.
Circular innovations
by Mark Hutchins
Challenges on how to re-cycle PV materials to make the quality good enough to be re-used in production. Printed solar cells contribute by not using silicon, wafers and metals. Read more here.
The Development of Transparent Photovoltaics
Science Direct, Vol. 1, Issue 8, 26 August 2020
Kangmin Lee, Han Don Um, Deokjae Choi, Jeonghwan Park, Namwoo Kim, Hyungwoo Kim, Kwanyong Seo
Transparent photovoltaics (TPVs), which combine visible transparency and solar energy conversion, are being developed for applications in which conventional opaque solar cells are unlikely to be feasible, such as windows of buildings or vehicles. In this paper reviews recent progress in TPVs along with strategies that enable the transparency of conventional photovoltaics, including thin-film technology, selective light-transmission technology, and luminescent solar concentrator technology. Read more here.
Ultrafast hot-hole injection modifies hot-electron dynamics in Au/p-GaN heterostructures
Nature Materials 19, 27 July, 2020
Giulia Tagliabue, Joseph S. DuChene, Mohamed Abdellah, Adela Habib, David J. Gosztola, Yocefu Hattori, Wen-Hui Cheng, Kaibo Zheng, Sophie E. Canton, Ravishankar Sundararaman, Jacinto Sá and Harry A. Atwater
A fundamental understanding of hot-carrier dynamics in photo-excited metal nanostructures is needed to unlock their potential for photodetection and photocatalysis. Despite numerous studies on the ultrafast dynamics of hot electrons, so far, the temporal evolution of hot holes in metal–semiconductor heterostructures remains unknown. Read more here.
How to Accurately Report Transparent Solar Cells
Science Direct, Vol. 3, Issue 8, 21 August 2019
ChenchenYang, DianyiLiu, MatthewBates, Miles C.Barr, Richard R.Lunt
Integrating transparent photovoltaics (TPVs) onto new and existing infrastructure as a power- generating source can help to realize net-zero-energy buildings, dramatically improve energy utilization efficiency, and supply on-site energy demand with minimal compromise to the functionality and aesthetic quality of architectural and mobile surfaces. TPV modules can be conveniently installed onto the facades, windows, and siding of buildings as replacements for conventional building materials during construction. Alternatively, they can be directly retrofit onto existing surfaces after initial construction. Read more here.
How nanoparticles that harvest light could curb climate emissions
MIT Technology Review, August 19, 2019
by James Temple
Read more here.
Simultaneous Hot Electron and Hole Injection upon Excitation of Gold Surface Plasmon
ACS Publications, May 22, 2019
Yocefu Hattori, Mohamed Abdellah, Jie Meng, Kaibo Zheng and Jacinto Sá
The researches have successfully investigated the simultaneous injection of hot electrons and holes upon excitation of gold localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). The studies were performed on all-solid-state plasmonic system composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) p–n junctions with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). The study revealed that both charge carriers are transferred within 200 fs to the respective charge acceptors, exhibiting a free carrier transport behavior. We also confirmed that the transfer of charge carriers are accompanied by change in the initial relaxation dynamics of Au NPs. Read more here.
Emergence of highly transparent photovoltaics for distributed applications
Nature Energy, Vol. 2, NOVEMBER 2017
Christopher J. Traverse, Richa Pandey, Miles C. Barr and Richard R. Lunt
Solar energy offers a viable solution to our growing energy need. While adoption of conventional photovoltaics on rooftops and in solar farms has grown rapidly in the last decade, there is still plenty of opportunity for expansion. See-through solar technologies with partial light transmission developed over the past 30 years have initiated methods of integration not possible with conventional modules. The large-scale deployment necessary to offset global energy consumption could be further accelerated by developing fully invisible solar cells that selectively absorb ultraviolet and near-infrared light, allowing many of the surfaces of our built environment to be turned into solar harvesting arrays without impacting the function or aesthetics. Here, we review recent advances in photovoltaics with varying degrees of visible light transparency. We discuss the figures of merit necessary to characterize transparent photovoltaics, and outline the requirements to enable their widespread adoption in buildings, windows, electronic device displays, and automobiles. Read more here.
Green microfluidic synthesis of monodisperse silver nanoparticles via genetic algorithm optimization
RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 95693
Daniel L. A. Fernandes, Cristina Paun, Mariia V. Pavliuk, Arthur B. Fernandes, Erick L. Bastos and Jacinto Sa
A scalable and green procedure for the microfluidic flow synthesis of monodisperse silver nanoparticles is reported. Beetroot extract is used both as a reducing and growth-regulating agent. A multi-objective genetic algorithm was used to automate the optimization of the reaction and reduce sample polydispersity observed in previous reports. The proposed methodology ensures high-quality nanoparticles in a rapidly manner and devoid of human skill or intuition, essential for method standardization and implementation. Read article here. or Download article here.
Do you know of other relevant publications, please send us suggestions!