2.627 | Fall 2013 | Undergraduate

Fundamentals of Photovoltaics

Calendar & Readings

In the first half of the term, the course operates in a “flipped classroom” mode. For lectures 2 through 12, before each class period, please watch the assigned MIT OpenCourseWare video lecture (per the table below), recorded during the Fall 2011 term. Class meetings on those days are devoted to further discussion and in-class activities. A sampling of some in-class activities is provided below.

Readings Key

[PVCDROM] = Honsberg, C., and S. Bowden. Photovoltaics: Devices, Systems and Applications CD-ROM. [A free online resource.]

[Green]= Green, M. A. Solar Cells: Operating Principles, Technology, and System Applications. Prentice Hall, 1981. ISBN: 9780138222703.

LEC # LECTURE TOPICS & ACTIVITIES PREPARATION: VIDEOS & READINGS ASSIGNMENTS
Unit 1: Fundamentals of PV Devices and Systems
1 Class Introduction; Solar Technology Framework   Background Assessment Quiz (PDF) (not for grade)
2 The Solar Resource

In-Class Activities

PVWatts Calculator. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. [PVCDROM] Appendix, “Standard Solar Spectra.”

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 2: The Solar Resource

Read

[PVCDROM] Chapter 2: Properties of Sunlight.

[Green] Chapter 1: Solar Cells and Sunlight.

Problem set 1 out
3 Light Management

Watch Tutorial Video

Tutorial: Texturing

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 3: Light Absorption and Optical Losses

Read

[PVCDROM] Chapter 3: PN Junction.

 
4 Charge Excitation

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 4: Charge Excitation 

Read

[Green] Chapter 2: Review of Semiconductor Properties. and Chapter 3: Generation, Recombination, and the Basic Equations of Device Physics.

Problem set 1 due

Problem set 2 out

5 Charge Separation I

Watch Tutorial Video

Tutorial: Doping

Tutorial: Photoconductivity

Tutorial: Solar Cell Operation

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 5: Charge Separation, Part I

Read

[PVCDROM] Chapter 3: PN Junction.

 
6 Charge Separation II Class Projects: Describe existing ideas and provide opportunity to pitch new ideas.

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 6: Charge Separation, Part II

Problem set 2 due

Problem set 3 out

7 Advanced Semiconductor Physics

In-Class Activities

In-class problem set (PDF)

IV Curve Measurement

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 7: Toward a 1D Device Model, Part I: Device Fundamentals

Read

Schroder, D. K. “Solar Cell Contact Resistance–A Review.” IEEE Transactions Electron Devices 31, no. 5 (1984): 637–47.

 
8 Materials Properties Affecting Performance

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 8: Toward a 1D Device Model, Part II: Material Fundamentals

Form project teams
9 Charge Collection (Contacts & Metallization)

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 9: Charge Extraction

Problem set 3 due

Quiz 1 out

**Unit 2: PV Technologies (Commercial and Emerging)**
10 Commercial Technologies: Silicon I

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 10: Wafer Silicon-Based Solar Cells, Part I

Read (optional)

McEvoy, A., T. Markvart, and Luis Castañer, eds. Solar Cells: Materials, Manufacture and Operation. 2nd ed. Academic Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780123869647.

Luque, A., and S. Hegedus, eds. Chapters in Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering. 2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2011. ISBN: 9780470721698.

Project: organized first meetings with mentors outside of normal class time.
11 Commercial Technologies: Silicon II

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 11: Wafer Silicon-Based Solar Cells, Part II

Quiz 1 due

Problem set 4 out

Quiz 2 out

12 Commercial Technologies: Thin Films I

Watch Fall 2011 Lecture Video in OCW

Lecture 12: Thin Films: Materials Choices and Manufacturing, Part I

 
13 Commercial Technologies: Thin Films II Tour of the MIT solar installation

Read

MIT Energy Initiative. “Student Project Identifies Improvements for Campus PVs,” MIT News, November 30, 2011.

Homework 4 due

Homework 5 out

14 Theoretical Photoelectric Efficiency Limits    
15 Emerging Technologies   Homework 5 due Project team check-in

16 Field trip to Fraunhofer CSE    
Unit 3: Cross-Cutting Themes
17 Troubleshooting Photoelectric Conversion Efficiency Losses   Quiz 2 due Project team check-in

18 Cost and Manufacturability Guest lecture “Silicon solar cell manufacturing costs” by K. V. Ravi

Read

Powell, D. M. , M. T. Winkler, et al. “Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics: A Cost Analysis Framework for Determining Technology Pathways to Reach Baseload Electricity Costs.” Energy & Environmental Science 5, no. 3 (2012): 5874–83.

———. “Modeling the Cost and Minimum Sustainable Price of Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Manufacturing in the United States.” IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics 3, no. 2 (2013): 662–68.

Goodrich, A. C., D. M. Powell, et al. “Assessing the Drivers of Regional Trends in Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing.” Energy & Environmental Science 6, no. 10 (2013): 2811–21.

 
19 Modules, Systems, and Reliability   Project team check-in
20 Price, Markets, and Subsidies    
21 Guest lecture by DOE SunShot Program Manager Lidija Sekaric   Project team check-in Manufacturing simulation due

22 PV Innovation    
23 PV in Developing Countries    
24 Buffer lecture – topics TBD    
25 Student Project Presentations   Final project report due
26 Student Project Presentations (cont.)    

We will be measuring the IV characteristics of a solar cell using a homemade Arduino-based USB-powered sourcemeter that connects to your personal laptop computer.

Documentation: Build Your Own Sourcemeter

Installing Laptop Drivers

Before class, you should follow these instructions to install the proper driver in your laptop.

Go to the Virtual COM Port Drivers webpage (Future Technology Devices International, Ltd.)

Select the appropriate driver for your operating system. Download and save it somewhere you can find it again.

For Windows installation:

When you connect the board, Windows should initiate the driver installation process (if you haven’t used the computer with an Arduino board before).

The Add New Hardware wizard will open:

  • When asked Can Windows connect to Windows Update to search for software? select No, not this time. Click Next.
  • Select Install from a list or specified location (Advanced) and click Next.
  • Make sure that Search for the best driver in these locations is checked; uncheck Search removable media; check Include this location in the search and browse to the drivers/FTDI USB Drivers directory of the Arduino distribution. (The latest version of the drivers can be found on the FTDI website.) Click next.
  • The wizard will search for the driver and then tell you that a “USB Serial Converter” was found. Click finish.
  • The new hardware wizard will appear again. Go through the same steps and select the same options and location to search. This time, a “USB Serial Port” will be found.
  • You can check that the drivers have been installed by opening the Windows Device Mananger (in the Hardware tab of System control panel). Look for a “USB Serial Port” in the Ports section; that’s the Arduino board.

For Mac installation:

Double-click the ‘FTDIUSBSerialDriver mpkg’ icon and follow the instructions in the installer. You’ll need to restart your computer after installing the drivers.

Course Info

As Taught In
Fall 2013
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Videos
Tutorial Videos
Problem Sets
Lecture Notes
Projects with Examples
Problem Sets with Solutions