16 June 2012

Polycrystalline

By Christopher Eyres


Polycrystalline often also called multicrystalline solar cells are the most typical because they are regularly the least costly. They're the middle choice in the marketplace ... Virtually as good as single cell silicon panels but sometimes with a better efficiency than thin film solar energy panels.

Polycrystalline cells can be recognized by a perceivable grain, a "metal flake effect". The photovoltaic cells are sometimes square in shape, and may have a surface that looks slightly like a mosaic. That is due to the fact that of all the different crystals that make up the module. The rationale polycrystalline solar energy panels are less expensive than monocrystalline solar panels, is thanks to the way that the silicon is made. Basically, the molten silicon is poured into a cast instead of being made into a single crystal.

This material can be synthesized easily by permitting liquid silicon to cool using a seed crystal of the required crystal structure. In addition, other methods for crystallizing amorphous silicon to form polysilicon exist such as high temperature chemical vapour deposition ( CVD ).

In the cast process, silicon pieces are melted in a ceramic crucible and then formed in a graphite mold to form a strip. As the molten silicon is cooling a seed crystal of the required crystal structure is introduced to assist formation. Although molding and using multiple silicon cells needs less silicon and decreases the manufacturing costs, it also decreases the potency of the solar cells.

1366 Tech set up by former MIT professor has developed a machine that will produces polycrystalline solar power cells about thirty times quicker than current technologies, which should lead to lower priced polycrystalline modules in the future.

In general, polycrystalline panels have an efficiency that is about 70% to eighty percent of a comparable monocrystalline solar panel. The most efficient polycrystalline panels are built by Mitsubishi Electrical Firm. In Feb 2010, Mitsubishi set two world records for photoelectric conversion efficiency in polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic ( PV ) cells, which was done by reducing resistive loss in the cells. The conversion potency rates have been confirmed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Technology and Science ( AIST ), in Japan.

Another one of the world records, which Mitsubishi Electric has now replenished for the 3rd successive year, is a 19.3-percent efficiency rating for photoelectric conversion of a practically-sized polycrystalline silicon PV cell of 100 squared centimeters or larger, with the PV cell measuring roughly 15cm x 15cm x 2 hundred micrometers. The rating is 0.2 points higher than the firm's previous record of 19.1 p.c. The second world record, achieved with the same technologies in an ultra-thin polycrystalline silicon PV cell measuring approximately 15cm x 15cm x a hundred micrometers, is an efficiency rating of 18.1 percent, a 0.7-point improvement over the organization's prior record of 17.4 percent.

Now the solar industry is investing tons of money in R&D to find out how to increase producing costs and boost overall efficiency of the solar modules. As you can clearly see from the work done by Mitsubishi, these improvements are basically incremental in nature and are more on the producing side than on the potency side. .




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