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German scientists have developed a solar cell with multiple quantum wells to enable higher levels of photocurrent. The 3.4%-efficient device could be used for glass facades in buildings and windows, sunroofs in vehicles, and greenhouses for agrivoltaics.
JANUARY 5, 2023 EMILIANO BELLINI
Researchers from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have fabricated a semitransparent solar cell based on ultra-thin hydrogenated amorphous multiple quantum wells (MQWs) made of silicon and germanium (Si/Ge).
“Our novel semi-transparent solar cell technology could afford several integration opportunities into diverse applications like glass façades in buildings and windows, sunroofs in vehicles and greenhouses for agrivoltaics,” researcher Hosni Meddeb told pv magazine. “The customized design capabilities could enable multifunctional utilization beyond solar energy harvesting such as aesthetic appearance, visual comfort and thermal management.”
Quantum wells are thin nanostructures inserted into the cell layers to alter the bandgap and other properties. In previous PV research, these nanostructures were used as single quantum wells (SQWs) and the novelty of this research consists in giving them a “multiple” configuration.
