Jens Adams

Scalable, ambient atmosphere roll-to-roll manufacture of encapsulated large area, flexible organic tandem solar cell modules

Inline printing and coating methods have been demonstrated to enable a high technical yield of fully roll-to-roll processed polymer tandem solar cell modules. We demonstrate generality by employing different material sets and also describe how the ink systems must be carefully co-developed in order to reach the ambitious objective of a fully printed and coated 14-layer flexible tandem solar cell stack. The roll-to-roll methodologies involved are flexographic printing, rotary screen printing, slot-die coating, X-ray scattering, electrical testing and UV-lamination. Their combination enables the manufacture of completely functional devices in exceptionally high yields. Critical to the ink and process development is a carefully chosen technology transfer to industry method where first a roll coater is employed enabling contactless stack build up, followed by a small roll-to-roll coater fitted to an X-ray machine enabling in situ studies of wet ink deposition and drying mechanisms, ultimately elucidating how a robust inline processed recombination layer is key to a high technical yield. Finally, the transfer to full roll-to-roll processing is demonstrated.

Highly efficient, large area, roll coated flexible and rigid OPV modules with geometric fill factors up to 98.5% processed with commercially available materials

Highly efficient, large area OPV modules achieving full area efficiencies of up to 93% of the reference small area cells are reported. The way to a no-loss up-scaling process is highlighted: photoelectrical conversion efficiencies of 5.3% are achieved on rigid modules and of 4.2% on flexible, roll coated ones, employing a commercially available photoactive material. Exceptionally high geometric fill factors (98.5%), achieved via structuring by ultrashort laser pulses, with interconnection widths below 100 μm are demonstrated.

Air-processed organic tandem solar cells on glass: toward competitive operating lifetimes

Photovoltaic devices based on organic semiconductors (OPVs) hold great promise as a cost-effective renewable energy platform because they can be processed from solution and deposited on flexible plastics using roll-to-roll processing. Despite important progress and reported power conversion efficiencies of more than 10% the rather limited stability of this type of devices raises concerns towards future commercialization. The tandem concept allows for both absorbing a broader range of the solar spectrum and reducing thermalization losses. We designed an organic tandem solar cell with an inverted device geometry comprising environmentally stable active and charge-selecting layers. Under continuous white light irradiation, we demonstrate an extrapolated, operating lifetime in excess of one decade. We elucidate that for the current generation of organic tandem cells one critical requirement for long operating lifetimes consists of periodic UV light treatment. These results suggest that new material approaches towards UV-resilient active and interfacial layers may enable efficient organic tandem solar cells with lifetimes competitive with traditional inorganic photovoltaics.

Organic and perovskite solar modules innovated by adhesive top electrode and depth-resolved laser patterning

We demonstrate an innovative solution-processing fabrication route for organic and perovskite solar modules via depth-selective laser patterning of an adhesive top electrode. This yields unprecedented power conversion efficiencies of up to 5.3% and 9.8%, respectively. We employ a PEDOT:PSS–Ag nanowire composite electrode and depth-resolved post-patterning through beforehand laminated devices using ultra-fast laser scribing. This process affords low-loss interconnects of consecutive solar cells while overcoming typical alignment constraints. Our strategy informs a highly simplified and universal approach for solar module fabrication that could be extended to other thin-film photovoltaic technologies.

Loss analysis on CIGS-modules by using contactless, imaging illuminated lock-in thermography and 2D electrical simulations

Loss analysis on CIGS-modules are demonstrated by using contactless, imaging illuminated lock-in thermography (ILIT). Power dissipating defects, like shunts, were visualized in commercially manufactured test modules (30 × 30 cm2). The evaluations of the ILIT-measurements displayed a correlations with the loss in maximum output power and in open circuit voltage. 2D finite element simulations of the shunts confirmed the correlations. A further simulative parameter study gives a deep understanding of the influence of a shunt on the electrical performance in thin film modules. As ILIT is a contactless and fast method, it has the potential to become a powerful tool for in-line characterization. Furthermore, we consider this technique to be applicable also to other thin film module technologies, like CdTe, a-Si:H or organic photovoltaics.

IR-images of PV-modules with potential induced degradation (PID) correlated to monitored string power output

Many PV-plants suffer from potential induced degradation (PID) which causes severe power reduction of installed PVmodules. Fast and reliable methods to detect PID and evaluate the impact on the module performance are gaining importance. Drone-assisted IR-inspection is a suitable method. PID affected modules are detected by their characteristic IR-fingerprint, modules with differing number of slightly heated cells occur more frequently at the negative string end. These modules show a degraded IV-curve, lowered Voc and Isc, and electroluminescence (EL)-images with suspicious, dark cells. Also, the measured string power is reduced. For a first quantitative data evaluation the suspicious cell are counted in the IR-images and correlated with the module power. A linear decrease of the module power with increasing number of suspicious cells results. A correlation function for estimating the module power was deduced, which has a mean deviation of less than 7%. This correlation function allows an acceptable approximation of the string power.

IR-imaging and non-destructive loss analysis on thin film solar modules and cells

CIGS thin film solar modules, despite their high efficiency, may contain three different kinds of macroscopic defects referred to as bulk defects, interface defects and interconnect defects. These occur due to the film’s sensitivity to inhomogeneities during the manufacturing process and decreasing the electrical power output from a cell or module. In this study, we present infrared (IR) imaging and contactless loss analyses of defects contained in commercially manufactured thin film solar modules. We investigated different relations between the emitted IR-signal (using illuminated lock-in thermography ILIT) and the respective open circuit cell voltage (Voc) as well as the maximum power point (Pmpp). A simulation study, using the 2D finite element method (FEM), provides a deeper understanding as to the impact on electrical performance when defects are present on the cell or module.