Bernabé Marí Soucase

Endorse of renewable energy plants, still an alternative investment in Spain?

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Synthesis of In2S3 thin films by spray pyrolysis from precursors with different (S)/(In) ratios

Indium sulfide (In2S3) thin films were prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis technique from solutions with different [S]/[In] ratios on glass substrates at a constant temperature of 250 °C. Thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectroscopy and optical transmittance spectroscopy. All samples exhibit a polycrystalline structure with a preferential orientation along (0, 0, 12). A good stoichiometry was attained for all samples. The morphology of thin film surfaces, as seen by SEM, was dense and no cracks or pinholes were observed. Raman spectroscopy analysis shows active modes belonging to β-ln2S3 phase. The optical transmittance in the visible range is higher than 60% and the band gap energy slightly increases with the sulfur to indium ratio, attaining a value of 2.63 eV for [S]/[In] = 4.5.

Numerical analysis of SnS Photovoltaic cells

Performance of SnS based photovoltaic solar cell is described in this research paper on the base of its numerical analysis. Cell structure consists of following sequence (p-SnS/CdS/Zno) for absorber layer, buffer layer and optical window, respectively. The numerical analysis is carried out by Photovoltaic cell Capacitance Simulator Software (SCAPS). After optimization of different parameters of the simulated device the results indicate that the photoconversion efficiency under standard AM1.5 illumination condition of the SnS-based photovoltaic cell is about 26%. Further, the effect of different parameters such as thickness of all device layers, concentration of dopants, compensation ratio and operating temperature is analyzed.

Economical and financial study of photovoltaic energy production in Africa: Case of Morocco, Côte d'Ivoire and South Africa

Solar Energy is highly competitive, not only between Renewable Energy but also compared with traditional fossil fuels. This fact is supported by studies in developed countries in Europe. This experience should take advantage of the developing countries, which may also have additional comparative advantages by supporting solar radiation throughout the year. This is the case of Africa. Besides, other key factor for boosting economic growth in developing countries is the energetic independence of the countries. Renewable energies are well suited for such purpose even if effective dissemination of renewable energies is their production price. Energy production price depends on the maturity of related technology and also on economic factors, which are mainly related to incentive policies. This paper reports on the economic and financial calculations related to the energy production of a standard 10 kW photovoltaic plant connected to an electric grid and its economic profitability in terms of economic returns of the electricity production in three Africans countries located in the North, Centre of South and Africa. Countries studied are Morocco, Ivory Coast and South Africa with different solar radiation conditions and different energy policies. We show that when photovoltaic plants are considered as economic assets, the knowledge of financial and economic characteristics of the country as well as the geographical localization of photovoltaic plants, have to be have to be taken into account in order to assess the profitability of the investment.

A numerical simulation study of ZnTe-based solar cells

Solar cells based on II-VI semiconductors are among the leading candidates for low-cost photovoltaic conversion of solar energy due to their high absorption coefficients and therefore the low material consumption for their production. To understand the basics of photovoltaic (PV) cells, several types of simulation software are available. This work reports on the analysis of Zinc Telluride (ZnTe) thin films solar cells by using Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator software (SCAPS). Dark and illuminated I-V characteristic analyzed. These results are useful for understanding the fundamentals of PV devices as well as a feedback for designers and producers of high efficiency ZnTe cells. The state of the arts combination of the cell is consists of ZnTe absorber layer, CdS as buffer and ZnO as optical window following the sequence ZnTe/CdS/ZnO. Simulation studies by varying several solar cell parameters such as thickness of various layers reveal that increasing the thickness of absorber layer results in higher efficiency. Solar cells based on standard ZnTe absorbers give conversion efficiencies about 8 % due to the high bandgap value of the absorber. However, if the absorption coefficient is modified to take into account the presence of an Intermediate Band, like in ZnTe:O absorbers, the overall performance of PV devices increases dramatically and the conversion efficiency provided by SCAPS is close to 60 %.

Energy production in PV plants regarded as economic investments an assessment for PV investments in Germany, Spain and Morocco

One key factor for effective dissemination of renewable energies is the price of production. Energy production price depends on the maturity of related technology and also on economic factors, which are mainly related to incentive policies. This paper analyzes the energy production of a standard 10 kW photovoltaic plant connected to the grid and its economic profitability in terms of economic returns of the electricity production in three countries with different solar radiation conditions and different energy policies. Countries analyzed are Germany, Spain and Morocco. We show that when regarding a photovoltaic plant as an economic asset the financial and economic characteristics of the country when the photovoltaic plant is located have to be taken into account to assess the profitability of the investment.

Effect of F-doping on structural, electrical, and optical properties of ZnO thin films for optoelectronic application

In this work, Fluorine doped Zinc oxide (FZO) thin films were deposited by the sol-gel spin coating method. Zinc acetate dihydrate, ethanol and mono-ethanolamine were used as precursor, solvent and stabilizer, respectively. The atomic percentages of dopant in solution were [F/Zn]=1%,2%, 4% and 6%. The effect of F doping on the structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnO films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Four-Point probe technique and UV-visible spectrophotometery. The results from the X-ray diffraction show that the pure ZnO thin films have polycrystalline structure, hexagonal wurtzite type. All the films have a highly preferential c-axis orientation, and exhibited (002) plane as a preferential growth in all the dopant ratios. Grain sizes of the films were varied in range of 36.5 to 46.2 nm. The optical transmission is decreased with the increase of the dopant concentration. The band gap energy values were determined as 3.252 eV, 3.267 eV, 3.295 eV, 2.299 eV and 3.315 eV, respectively for undoped ZnO, 1, 2, 4 and 6% mole FZO thin films. A minimum resistivity of FZO (2.72 *10−3) was obtained for the film doped with 29% mol of F. These results make FZO thin films an attractive candidate for transparent and electric material applications.

Design of a solar system installation in Marrakesch using the SKELION software tool

A new software for designing photovoltaic solar installations in a 3D environment has been developed with the support of the UPV Valencia. This paper presents the capabilities of the software designing a ground power plant in Marrakesh as a case study. The software merges several well-known tools like PVGYS and SketchUp 3d. A shadows study of the surrounding buildings is done to find out the area with negligible shadows to install the solar panels. An energy report and a financial study are also presented.

Numerical Simulations on Perovskite Photovoltaic Devices

Organometal halide perovskites have recently attracted tremendous attention due to their potential for photovoltaic applications, and they are also considered as promising materials in light emitting devices. In particular, in the last years promising photovoltaic devices with efficiencies above 20% have already been prepared using organometal halide perovskites as absorbent materials.

Baseline of numerical simulations for ZnTe based thin-film solar cells

Numerical modelling of photovoltaic solar cells is an important strategy to test the viability of proposed physical structures and their performance. This article introduces the concept of numerical simulation and explain the relevant physical models for the inside physical phenomenon like generation, recombination and transport of charge carriers (holes and electrons) in photovoltaic materials. This will made with essential input parameters, to have consistent and acceptable results. It is extremely useful to have a common baseline or starting point for researchers working on the same problem under different conditions irrespective of the place, group, research environment and tools/software used. The numerical work, hence produces results for fitting of modelling output to experimental results, predicting the effect of changes in material properties and geometry of cell performance and testing the viability of proposed physical device. A case-study for baseline parameter sets are presented that describes ZnTe based thin-film solar cells consist in ZnO/n-CdS/p-ZnTe in a substrate sequence. This model can be used as a baseline for more complicated models and will help photovoltaic researchers for enhancing the efficiency and reduction the costs in