KAVIKULGURU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE,

RAMTEK
INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS
IEEE STUDENT BRANCH

PRESENTATION ON
3 D SOLAR CELL TECHNOLOGY

Presented By:
Devendra Mishra (ME15112)
Pankaj Deshmukh (ME15126)

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

KAVIKULGURU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE
RAMTEK-441106

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 INDEX
SR. NO. TITLE PAGE NO.

1 INTRODUCTION 3

2 COMPONENTS 4

3 WORKING 8

4 ADVANTAGES 10

5 CONCLUSION 13

6 REFERENCES 14

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 INTRODUCTION
High oil prices and the BP spill are just two real reminders of how energy dependent we
truly are, but tomorrow's solar technology promises cleaner power at lower costs. A solar cell (also
called a photovoltaic cell) is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into
electricity by the photovoltaic effect. It is a form of photoelectric cell (in that its electrical
characteristics e.g. current, voltage, or resistance vary when light is incident upon it) which, when
exposed to light, can generate and support an electric current without being attached to any external
voltage source.
Solar 3D is developing a breakthrough 3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the
conversion of sunlight into electricity. Up to 30% of incident sunlight is currently reflected off the
surface of conventional solar cells, and more is lost inside the solar cell materials. Inspired by light
management techniques used in fiber optic devices, solar cell technology utilizes a 3-dimensional
design to trap sunlight inside a photovoltaic structure where photons bounce around until they are
converted into electrons. An innovative wide-angle light collection feature on the cell surface
allows for the collection of sunlight over a range of angles during the day.

Most solar panels are placed flat on rooftops because they are designed to harness solar energy
when the sun is directly overhead. However, when the angle of the sun’s rays hitting the panel
changes, traditional panels quickly become less efficient. To get around this inefficiency, scientists
have been experimenting with a variety of new solar cell technologies, including nanoscale 3D
structures to trap light and increase the amount of solar energy absorbed. However, in a research
in Energy and Environmental Science a team of MIT researchers has taken a different approach
by changing the shape of the solar panels. The researchers were able to develop a 3D shape that
allows for 20 times greater power output.

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 COMPONENTS
The main components of 3 D Solar Cell are:
1) Solar Panel
2) Long Tower
3) Inverter
4) Net meter
5) Batteries

1) Solar Panel: Solar panels, also known as modules, contain photovoltaic cells made
from silicon that transform incoming sunlight into electricity rather than heat.
(Photovoltaic means electricity from light photo = light, voltaic = electricity.)

Picture resource: [Link]

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2) Long Tower
While we’ve looked at the development of solar cell technologies that employ nanoscale
3D structures to trap light and increase the amount of solar energy absorbed, MIT researchers have
now used 3D on the macro scale to achieve power output that is up to 20 times greater than
traditional fixed flat solar panels with the same base area. The approach developed by the
researchers involves extending the solar cells upwards in a three-dimensional tower or cube
configuration to enable them to better capture the sun's rays when it is lower on the horizon.

Solar panels placed flat on a rooftop are most effective at harnessing solar energy when the
sun is close to directly overhead, but quickly lose their efficiency as the angle of the sun’s rays
hitting the panel increases – during the mornings, evenings, in the cooler months and in locations
far from the equator. It is exactly in these situations that the researcher’s vertical solar modules
provided the biggest boosts in power output.

After exploring a variety of possible 3D configurations using a computer algorithm and

testing them under a range of latitudes, seasons and weather with specially developed analytic
software, the team built three different individual 3D modules and tested them on the MIT lab
building roof for several weeks. The results showed a boost in power output ranging from double
to more than 20 times that of fixed flat solar panels with the same base area.

By going vertical and collecting more sunlight when the sun is closer to the horizon, the
team’s 3D modules were able to generate a more uniform output over time. This uniformity
extended over the course of each day, the seasons of a year, and even when accounting for
blockage from clouds and shadows.

The researchers say this increase in uniformity could overcome one of the biggest hurdles facing
solar energy – predictability of electricity supply that currently makes it difficult to integrate
solar power sources into the grid.

While the team believes its 3D solar cells could offer big advantages in flat-rooftop installations or
urban environments where space is limited, they say they could also be used in larger-scale applications,
such as solar farms, once a configuration that minimizes the shading effects between towers has been
developed. The results of the MIT team’s computer modeling and rooftop testing of real modules appear in
the journal Energy and Environmental Science.

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3) Inverter

The inverter is typically located in an accessible location, as close as practical to the

modules. In a residential application, the inverter is often mounted to the exterior sidewall of the
home near the electrical main or sub panels. Since inverters make a slight noise, this should be
taken into consideration when selecting the location. The inverter turns the DC electricity
generated by the solar panels into 120-volt AC that can be put to immediate use by connecting
the inverter directly to a dedicated circuit breaker in the electrical panel.

The inverter, electricity production meter, and electricity net meter are connected so
that power produced by your solar electric system will first be consumed by the electrical loads
currently in operation. The balance of power produced by your solar electric system passes
through your electrical panel and out onto the electric grid. Whenever you are producing more
electricity from your solar electric system than you are immediately consuming, your electric
utility meter will turn backwards!

4) Net meter
In a solar electric system that is also tied to the utility grid, the DC power from the solar
array is converted into 120 /240volt AC power and fed directly into the utility power distribution
system of the building. The power is “net metered,” which means it reduces demand for power

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from the utility when the solar array is generating electricity – thus lowering the utility bill.
These grid-tied systems automatically shut off if utility power goes offline, protecting workers
from power being back fed into the grid during an outage. These types of solar-powered electric
systems are known as “on grid” or “battery-less” and make up approximately 98% of the solar
power systems being installed today.

Net Meter

5) Batteries

As you consider your solar-plus-storage options, you’ll come across a lot of complicated
product specifications. The most important ones to use during your evaluation are the battery’s
capacity & power ratings, depth of discharge (DoD), round-trip efficiency, warranty, and
manufacturer. Capacity is the total amount of electricity that a solar battery can store, measured in
kilowatt-hours (kWh). Most home solar batteries are designed to be “stackable,” which means that
you can include multiple batteries with your solar-plus-storage system to get extra capacity.

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 WORKING
Since a solar cell is the only generator in a solar PV system, it is one of the most important
parts in a solar PV system. In the following paragraphs, a simple introduction of a solar cell and
how it operates is discussed, with reference links for better understanding.

A solar cell: A solar cell is a solid-state electrical device (p-n junction) that converts the energy of
light directly into electricity (DC) using the photovoltaic effect. The process of conversion first
requires a material which absorbs the solar energy (photon), and then raises an electron to a higher
energy state, and then the flow of this high-energy electron to an external circuit. Silicon is one
such material that uses such process. A solar cell structure is shown in figure 1 and a solar panel
configuration in figure 2.

Figure 1. A Solar Cell Structure

Figure 2: Solar Panel Configuration

PV cells: PV cells are most commonly made of silicon, and come in two common varieties,
crystalline and thin-film cells.

A p-n junction: It is formed by joining p-type (high concentration of hole or deficiency of

electron) and n-type (high concentration of electron) semiconductor material. Due to this joining,
excess electrons from n-type try to diffuse with the holes of p-type whereas excess hole from p-
type try to diffuse with the electrons of n-type. Movement of electrons to the p-type side exposes
positive ion cores in the n-type side, while movement of holes to the n-type side exposes negative

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ion cores in the p-type side, resulting in an electron field at the junction and forming the depletion
region.

A light-generated current: Generation of current in a solar cell, known as the “light-generated

current,” involves two important processes.

1. Absorption of incident photons to create electron-hole pairs. Electron-hole pairs will generate in
the solar cell provided that the incident photon has an energy greater than that of the band
gap. However, electrons (in the p-type material), and holes (in the n-type material) are meta-
stable and will only exist, on average, for a length of time equal to the minority carrier lifetime
before they recombine. If the carrier recombines, then the light-generated electron-hole pair is
lost and no current or power can be generated.
2. Collection of these carriers by the p-n junction prevents this recombination by using a p-n junction
to spatially separate the electron and the hole. The carriers are separated by the action of the
electric field existing at the p-n junction. If the light-generated minority carrier reaches the p-
n junction, it is swept across the junction by the electric field at the junction, where it is now a
majority carrier. If the emitter and base of the solar cell are connected together (i.e., if the solar
cell is short-circuited), then the light-generated carriers flow through the external circuit.

Photovoltaic effect: The collection of light-generated carriers does not by itself give rise to power
generation. In order to generate power, a voltage must be generated as well as a current. Voltage
is generated in a solar cell by a process known as the “photovoltaic effect.” The collection of light-
generated carriers by the p-n junction causes a movement of electrons to the n-type side and holes
to the p-type side of the junction. Under short circuit conditions, the carriers exit the device as
light-generated current.

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 ADVANTAGES
1) Wide Angle Light Collection
Conventional solar cells become dramatically less efficient if the sun is not shining within a
narrow range of incident angles. Sunlight that hits the cell outside of this range will be reflected
off, and the reduced light energy causes the cell’s internal efficiency to drop. Because of a unique
wide angle design, our solar cell can maintain its high efficiency over a wider range of incident
angles. It can capture more light in the morning and evening hours, as well as in the winter months
when the sun is not directly overhead. The key to this breakthrough is a special design on the cell
surface that collects sunlight over a wide range of angles. The collected light is then forced into 3-
dimensional photovoltaic micro-structures beneath the cell surface that trap the light and convert
it into electricity. As the sun moves across the sky, throughout the day or year, the Solar3D cell
will be able to maintain its high conversion efficiency, as if the sun was directly above it.

Fig 3: Wide angle collection

2) High Efficiency
Solar cell efficiency is the measure of how much incident sunlight is converted into electricity.
Most solar cells today are made from silicon, an inexpensive and abundant raw material. Due to
the physics of silicon, the theoretical maximum efficiency of high-grade crystalline silicon solar
cells is approximately 29%. In commercial practice, the efficiency ranges from 15% to19%. Our
3D solar cell is calculated to have an internal efficiency of 25.47%, more than any existing silicon
solar cell, and is designed to take advantage of low cost manufacturing processes.

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 3) The Problem of Light Reflection and Electron Loss
Conventional solar cells are 2-dimensional, utilizing a single pass sunlight conversion mechanism.
There are two primary ways that these devices lose light and electrons or electron-hole pairs, which
result in a conversion efficiency much less than the theoretical maximum.
3.1 Surface Reflection
Due to fundamental physics, approximately 30% of incident sunlight is reflected off the surface of
silicon cells.

Electron Reabsorption- When a photon strikes the solar cell, an electron is “knocked loose”
creating an electron-hole pair that moves through the cell material, creating electrical current.
However, in conventional 2-dimensional solar cell designs, these electron-hole pairs must travel a
long distance before reaching a metal contact wire. As a result, they are reabsorbed by the material
and do not contribute to the production of electrical current.

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3.2 Morning, Evening and Winter Light Loss
Conventional solar cells reach their quoted efficiencies of 15%-19% only when the incident
sunlight is within its narrow acceptable angle. During morning and evening hours, and winter
days, the sun is shining from outside of this angle. As a result of the reduced flux in solar energy
during these times, the operating efficiency of conventional solar cell is often below its quoted
number.

[Link] Solution of 3D Light Trapping & Electron Extraction

3–dimensional solar cell is designed from the ground up to optimally reduce all primary losses
to achieve the highest conversion efficiency. By leveraging the high volume scalability of
conventional solar and semiconductor processes, we believe our 3D solar cell can deliver an
unprecedented low total cost of ownership for any given solar installation. Unlike conventional
solar cells where sunlight passes through one time, our 3D solar cell design traps sunlight inside
photovoltaic structures where photons bounce around until they are all converted into electricity.
The key features and benefits of our 3D solar cell design are Wide Angle Light Collection instead
of allowing sunlight to bounce off the surface, our unique wide angle light collection feature is
engineered to capture light from a wider range of angles Ð including morning, evening and winter
angles – and guides all incident sunlight into a subsurface micro–photovoltaic structure.

Less Land Requirement: In comparison traditional PV system, Solar Tree requires less land.
Therefore, a plant is generating maximum Energy by using minimum land.

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 CONCLUSION

To fulfil the increasing energy demand of the people, saving of land. The 3D solar cell
tree concept is very successful one and should be implemented in India to provide electricity
without the problem of power cut. It is 200% more efficient than conventional 2D solar cell tree.
For country like India, where population density is high, so energy demand is also high. 3D solar
cells become alternative one as area & eco logy point of view.
Also it is efficiency goes on increasing after development of various patter of 3D solar
cells. It is botanic 3D solar cell trees, so produce a non-conventional electrical energy having many
advantages as compared to the other sources. It is therefore the responsibility on the shoulders of
the youngsters of the earth to think smartly and take the right decision. Everyone should start as
an individual to co-operate with the government to make life favorable for mankind.

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 REFERENCES

 [Link]
 [Link]
 [Link]/news/solar-cells
 [Link]/[Link]
 Science Direct Magazine

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