A team of British researchers is working on lightweight Cadmium Telluride (CDTE) solar devices for space arroys. The aim is to develop 20%-efficient ultra-thin devices to offer light, compact, cheaper solar energy for satellites and space-based production applications.
A team of researchers from Swansea University and Loughborough University are working on lightweight Cadmium Telluride (CDTE) solar cell technology for space arrays. The aim is to develop 20%-efficient ultra-thin devices to offer lightweight, compact storage, cheap solar energy for satellites and spatial production applications.
“We focus on an AM0 efficiency of 20% and a cell-specific capacity of 1.6 kW/kg,” said Lamb of Swansea University’s Center for Solar Energy Research, Center for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) told PV Magazine, Referring to air mass zero (AM0), the generally used standard spectrum outside the atmosphere of the earth. “This will be a robust photo photo -photovoltaic technology with an extensive missioniifetimes, thanks to the inherent radiation stability of CDTE,” he said.
The group’s CDTE sun design has an ultra-thin, flexible coverage, which is used as both the substrate and for radiation protection. “The CDTE -based photovoltaic layers are immediately deposited on the cover glass,” Lamb said, and noted that this reduces the costs and weight of conventional cover glass lamining. The specialized space-qualified glass is supplied by Project Partners Teledyne Qioptiq, based in the UK.
The CDTE technology of Swansea University was tested for several years in Low Earth Orbit (Leo) in an earlier project, as reported by PV Magazine. It was one of the payloads on the Alsat-1N 3U Cubesat satellite that was launched in 2016.
The current project specifications are aimed at higher efficiency and larger scales, together with the integration of selenium in CDTE (CDSete) PV. In addition, developments of a recently doped emitter project with Loughborough University will be integrated, such as a zinc oxide (ZNO) with high resistance (ZNO) placed between the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and the Cdetete-Absorber layer and new adapted anti-reflection co-coatings.
Image: Dan Lamb, Center for Solar Energy Research, Swansea University, UK
The new CDTE room solar cells are intended to be used in arrays with “lower storage volumes”. Taking less space opens “possibilities for new implementation methods and applications.” Such functions can also contribute to lower launch costs and the potential to make a longer implementation in space possible, they noticed.
Other objectives include the use of cheap production techniques with a high volume to support the fast -growing demand for space satellites and missions. Moreover, a deeper understanding of the radiation stability of both the material and full device architecture is required. “At the same time, we are working on developing a techno-economic understanding of how to manufacture on CDTE-based photovoltaicies for competitive space, and on which space applications it would be the most suitable,” Lamb said.
The researchers contrast the CDTE cell as a lighter, cheaper, highly radiation-resistant alternative technology for solar cells with multiple discs, which are currently dominating the space market because of their high efficiency, but that “complex production and high costs have that scalability.”
The Three-Year Collaboration is Supported by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and includes teams from Swansea’s Cism and Loughborough (Crestable), Alewable for Renewable for Renewable, Partners, Including High-Purity Materials Supplier 5N Plus Based in Canada, CTF Solar in Germany, Along with UK-Based Companions, Manufacturing Technology Center, Satellite Applications Catapult, Teledyne Qiopti and Metal-organic Damp deposit.
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