Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Solar cell”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Results of the 1995 JPL balloon flight solar cell calibration program

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) solar cell calibration program was conceived to produce reference standards for the purpose of accurately setting solar simulator intensities. The concept was to fly solar cells on a high-altitude balloon, to measure their output at altitudes near 120,000 ft (36.6 km), to recover the cells, and to use them as reference standards. The procedure is simple. The reference cell is placed in the simulator beam, and the beam intensity is adjusted until the reference cell reads the same as it read on the balloon. As long as the reference cell has the same spectral response as the cells or panels to be measured, this is a very accurate method of setting the intensity. But as solar cell technology changes, the spectral response of the solar cells changes also, and reference standards using the new technology must be built and calibrated. Until the summer of 1985, there had always been a question as to how much the atmosphere above the balloon modified the solar spectrum. If the modification was significant, the reference cells might not have the required accuracy. Solar cells made in recent years have increasingly higher blue responses, and if the atmosphere has any effect at all, it would be expected to modify the calibration of these newer blue cells much more so than for cells made in the past. JPL has been flying calibration standards on high-altitude balloons since 1963 and continues to organize a calibration balloon flight at least once a year. The 1995 flight was the 48th flight in this series. The 1995 flight incorporated 46 solar cell modules from 7 different participants. The payload included Si, amorphous Si, GaAs, GaAs/Ge, dual junction cells, top and bottom sections of dual junction cells, and a triple junction cell. A new data acquisition system was built for the balloon flights and flown for the first time on the 1995 flight. This system allows the measurement of current-voltage (I-V) curves for 20 modules in addition to measurement of modules with fixed loads as had been done in the past.

Anspaugh, B. E.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Straw man trade between multi-junction, gallium arsenide, and silicon solar cells

Multi-junction (MJ), gallium arsenide (GaAs), and silicon (Si) solar cells have respective test efficiencies of approximately 24%, 18.5% and 14.8%. Multi-junction and gallium arsenide solar cells weigh more than silicon solar cells and cost approximately five times as much per unit power at the cell level. A straw man trade is performed for the TRMM spacecraft to determine which of these cell types would have offered an overall performance and price advantage to the spacecraft. A straw man trade is also performed for the multi-junction cells under the assumption that they will cost over ten times that of silicon cells at the cell level. The trade shows that the TRMM project, less the cost of the instrument, ground systems and mission operations, would spend approximately $552 thousand dollars per kilogram to launch and service science in the case of the spacecraft equipped with silicon solar cells. If these cells are changed out for gallium arsenide solar cells, an additional 31 kilograms of science can be launched and serviced at a price of approximately $90 thousand per kilogram. The weight reduction is shown to derive from the smaller area of the array and hence reductions in the weight of the array substrate and supporting structure. If the silicon solar cells are changed out for multi-junction solar cells, an additional 45 kilograms of science above the silicon base line can be launched and serviced at a price of approximately $58 thousand per kilogram. The trade shows that even if the multi-junction arrays are priced over ten times that of silicon cells, a price that is much higher than projected, that the additional 45 kilograms of science are launched and serviced at $182 thousand per kilogram. This is still much less than original $552 thousand per kilogram to launch and service the science. Data and qualitative factors are presented to show that these figures are subject to a great deal of uncertainty. Nonetheless, the benefit of the higher efficiency solar cells for TRMM is far greater than the uncertainties in the analysis.

Gaddy, Edward M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Modeling of high efficiency solar cells under laser pulse for power beaming applications

Solar cells have been used to convert sunlight to electrical energy for many years and also offer great potential for non-solar energy conversion applications. Their greatly improved performance under monochromatic light compared to sunlight, makes them suitable as photovoltaic (PV) receivers in laser power beaming applications. Laser beamed power to a PV array receiver could provide power to satellites, an orbital transfer vehicle, or a lunar base. Gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium phosphide (InP) solar cells have calculated efficiencies of more than 50 percent under continuous illumination at the optimum wavelength. Currently high power free-electron lasers are being developed which operate in pulsed conditions. Understanding cell behavior under a laser pulse is important in the selection of the solar cell material and the laser. An experiment by NAsA lewis and JPL at the AVLIS laser facility in Livermore, CA presented experimental data on cell performance under pulsed laser illumination. Reference 5 contains an overview of technical issues concerning the use of solar cells for laser power conversion, written before the experiments were performed. As the experimental results showed, the actual effects of pulsed operation are more complicated. Reference 6 discusses simulations of the output of GaAs concentrator solar cells under pulsed laser illumination. The present paper continues this work, and compares the output of Si and GaAs solar cells.

Jain, Raj K.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Silicon Solar Cell Process Development, Fabrication and Analysis

The standard solar cells (2x2 cm) from the cast silicon (HEM) showed a maximum AMO efficiency of 10.1%. Cells from the low resistivity material (0.5 ohm-cm) showed lower performance than those of the high resistivity cast silicon (3 ohm-cm), an average efficiency 9.5% versus 7.6%. Maximum AMO efficiency of the standard solar cells from the EFG (RH) ribbons was about 7.5%. The solar cells from the controlled SiC, using the displaced die, showed more consistent and better performance than those of the uncontrolled SiC ribbons, an average efficiency of 6.6% versus 5.4%. The average AMO efficiency of the standard SOC solar cells were about 6%. These were large area solar cells (an average area of 15 sq cm). A maximum efficiency of 7.3% was obtained. The SOC solar cells showed both leakage and series resistance problems, leading to an average curve fill factor of about 60%.

Yoo, H. I.↗
NASA NTRS1968

Pioneer's solar-cell array.

Solar array as primary electrical power source of Pioneer deep space probes, comparing performance data with test and design data

Baron, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The NASA Lewis Research Center program in space solar cell research and technology

Progress in space solar cell research and technology is reported. An 18 percent-AMO-efficient silicon solar cell, reduction in the radiation damage suffered by silicon solar cells in space, and high efficiency wrap-around contact and thin (50 micrometer) coplanar back contact silicon cells are among the topics discussed. Reduction in the cost of silicon cells for space use, cost effective GaAs solar cells, the feasibility of 30 percent AMO solar energy conversion, and reliable encapsulants for space blankets are also considered.

Brandhorst, H. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Coating Processes Boost Performance of Solar Cells

NASA currently has spacecraft orbiting Mercury (MESSENGER), imaging the asteroid Vesta (Dawn), roaming the red plains of Mars (the Opportunity rover), and providing a laboratory for humans to advance scientific research in space (the International Space Station, or ISS). The heart of the technology that powers those missions and many others can be held in the palm of your hand - the solar cell. Solar, or photovoltaic (PV), cells are what make up the panels and arrays that draw on the Sun s light to generate electricity for everything from the Hubble Space Telescope s imaging equipment to the life support systems for the ISS. To enable NASA spacecraft to utilize the Sun s energy for exploring destinations as distant as Jupiter, the Agency has invested significant research into improving solar cell design and efficiency. Glenn Research Center has been a national leader in advancing PV technology. The Center s Photovoltaic and Power Technologies Branch has conducted numerous experiments aimed at developing lighter, more efficient solar cells that are less expensive to manufacture. Initiatives like the Forward Technology Solar Cell Experiments I and II in which PV cells developed by NASA and private industry were mounted outside the ISS have tested how various solar technologies perform in the harsh conditions of space. While NASA seeks to improve solar cells for space applications, the results are returning to Earth to benefit the solar energy industry.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1977

High efficiency GaAs solar cells

The present status of the GaAlAs/GaAs heteroface solar cell program is reported. Studies have been concentrated on GaAlAs/GaAs heteroface solar cells; however, some research has been conducted on thin junction, diffused GaAs solar cells. Emphasis has been on obtaining high efficiency (18% to 20%) GaAs solar cells. Two problems that have limited the efficiency of GaAs solar cells are the high recombination velocity of carriers near the surface and the low minority carrier diffusion length in n-GaAs.

Walker, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Summary of solar cell data from the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF)

The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was composed of many separate experiments, some of which contained solar cells. These solar cells were distributed at various positions on the LDEF and, therefore, were exposed to the space environment with an orientational dependence. This report will address the space environmental effects on solar cells and solar cell assemblies (SCA's), including electrical interconnects and associated insulation blankets where flown in conjunction with solar cells.

Hill, David C.↗
NASA NTRS1996

GaAs Solar Cell Radiation Handbook

The handbook discusses the history of GaAs solar cell development, presents equations useful for working with GaAs solar cells, describes commonly used instrumentation techniques for assessing radiation effects in solar cells and fundamental processes occurring in solar cells exposed to ionizing radiation, and explains why radiation decreases the electrical performance of solar cells. Three basic elements required to perform solar array degradation calculations: degradation data for GaAs solar cells after irradiation with 1 MeV electrons at normal incidence; relative damage coefficients for omnidirectional electron and proton exposure; and the definition of the space radiation environment for the orbit of interest, are developed and used to perform a solar array degradation calculation.

Anspaugh, B. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

ATS-6 solar cell experiment/improvement

ATS 6 solar cell flight experiment data through 2 years of synchronous orbit operation are presented. Comparisons are made of the performances of the 13 different types of solar cell/cover configurations, including new cover processes and materials, and the COMSAT violet cell. These performances are also compared to the performances of the LES 6 solar cell experiment, the ATS 6 main solar arrays, and the Hughes Aircraft Company solar arrays, and to laboratory spectrum electron irradiations. It was found that the cells of the ATS 6 experiment generally performed as expected through 6 to 9 months in orbit, but that at 2 years they were more severely degraded than expected.

Goldhammer, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Development of Thin Solar Cells for Space Applications at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA GRC Thin Film Solar Cell program is developing solar cell technologies for space applications which address two critical metrics: higher specific power (power per unit mass) and lower launch stowed volume. To be considered for space applications, an array using thin film solar cells must offer significantly higher specific power while reducing stowed volume compared to the present technologies being flown on space missions, namely crystalline solar cells. The NASA GRC program is developing single-source precursors and the requisite deposition hardware to grow high-efficiency, thin-film solar cells on polymer substrates at low deposition temperatures. Using low deposition temperatures enables the thin film solar cells to be grown on a variety of polymer substrates, many of which would not survive the high temperature processing currently used to fabricate thin film solar cells. The talk will present the latest results of this research program.

Dickman, John E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Optical properties of thin gold films applied to Schottky barrier solar cells

The Schottky barrier solar cell is considered a possible candidate for converting solar to electrical energy both for space and terrestrial applications. Knowledge of the optical constants of the ultrathin metal film used in the cell is essential for analyzing and designing higher efficiency Schottky barrier cells. The optical constants of 7.5 -nm (75-A) gold films on gallium arsenide have been obtained. In addition, the absolute collection efficiency of Schottky barrier solar cells has been determined from measured spectral response and optical constants of the gold film.

YEH Y. M.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Compensated Contacts for Three-Terminal Transistor Solar Cells

The heterojunction bipolar transistor solar cell (HBTSC) is an alternative to conventional double-junction solar cells that combines the advantages of three-terminal architectures with a compact design. A critical part of the HBTSC fabrication is the implementation of the middle contact, the one associated to the base layer in the transistor structure, because this layer can be damaged by the diffusion of metallic species during contact annealing. As a solution we propose to implement a "compensated contact", that is, to leave a thin (< 200 nm) portion of emitter or collector between the base layer and the contact metals and compensate its doping during contact annealing. Using an Au/Zn/Au metal structure to compensate a 150 nm thick portion of the collector, we obtain a specific contact resistance ~8 10-4 ..omega.. cm2. This value is fairly invariant for annealing temperatures between 400 and 460 degrees C and annealing times between 2 and 5 minutes, and it does not improve by adding Pd to the metallic stack. Optimizing the compensated contact technology opens the path to the realization of III-V-material-based HBTSCs with open-circuit voltages and fill factors comparable to those of conventional multijunction architectures.

contact resistance↗
NASA NTRS1992

Results from testing and analysis of solar cells flown on LDEF

A brief discussion of the solar cell experiments flown on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) is provided. The information presented is a collation of results published by the various experimenters. This process of collation and documentation is an ongoing Systems Special Investigation Group (SIG) effort. There are four LEO environments, operating individually and/or synergistically, that cause performance loss in solar cells: meteoroid and space debris, atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, and charged particle radiation. In addition, the effects of contamination caused by outgassing of materials used on the specific spacecraft play a role in decreasing the light being transmitted through the coverglass and adhesive to the solar cell. From the results presented on the solar cells aboard LDEF, the most extensive degradation of the solar cells came from impacts and the resulting cratering. The extent of the damage to the solar cells was largely dependent upon the size and energy of the meteoroids or space debris. The other cause of degradation was reduced light reaching the solar cell. This was caused by contamination, UV degradation of coverglass adhesive, and/or atomic oxygen/UV degradation of antireflection coatings.

Dursch, Harry↗
NASA NTRS1980

Space solar cells - High efficiency and radiation damage

The proceedings of the Third Solar Cell High Efficiency and Radiation Damage Meeting are outlined. The topics covered included high efficiency silicon solar cells, silicon solar cell radiation damage, GaAs solar cell performance, and 30 percent conversion devices. The study of radiation damage from a fundamental defect-centered basis is discussed and evaluated as a focus of future work. 18% AM0 efficiency and 0.7 V open-circuit voltages are designated as achievable goals for silicon solar cells, and the potential for 30% AM0 efficiencies from monolithic tandem cell designs without sunlight concentration is noted. In addition to its potential for 20% AM0 efficiencies, the GaAs cell offers the possibility of a radiation-insensitive power supply when operated at temperatures near 200 C.

Brandhorst, H. W., Jr.↗