Intro to Solar Photovoltaics

• Sunlight converted to usable electricity

Utah has an abundance of solar radiation that we can begin harnessing immediately.

*National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Chemical EngineeringOf Solar Cells

Altering the structure and deposition of the active layer

Creating an artificial electrical field that is favorable for charge transport, which would increase cell efficiency

Increases chances of offering PV as a reliable and cheap form of energy

Types of Solar Cells

• Silicon-Highest efficiency for conversion to DC output= ~27%. Silicon is becoming extremely harder to find, making prices for silicon based PV very expensive

• Thin film PV-lower conversion efficiency than silicon (~17%), but is still too expensive for marketplace

• Organic PV (OPV)-most exciting area of PVRecent conversions of ~10% efficiency, but is much easier to manufacture and costs are much cheaper compared to other PV’s.

If research continues at this rate, OPV’s will be extremely competitive with silicon PV,And OPV’s may be the next big clean energy market-(my speculation only)

Solar Ivy by: SMIT

Project Coordinator: Tom Melburn

Each student pays $2.50 every semester that goes towards the fund which allocates $100,000 to student led projects

Offered through the Office of Sustainability

Solar Ivy was just one of many projects approved for funding last semeseter

Installing Solar Ivy

Enphase Micro Inverters

Solar Radiation (Union & OSH)

Student Union Poll

Out of these next three schematic designs, which one is your favorite?

1

2

3

OSH Poll

Which schematic design is your favorite out of these three drawings?

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