Park Jeonghwan, Lee Kangmin, Lee Jungtaek, Kim Dawon, Lee Myounghyun, Seo Kwanyong
School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea.
Graduate School of Carbon Neutrality, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Aug 13;121(33):e2404684121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2404684121. Epub 2024 Aug 7.
Transparent solar cells (TSCs) hold substantial potential as continuous energy generators, enabling their use in situations where conventional devices may not be feasible. However, research aimed at modularizing TSCs for the purpose of regulating the overall voltage and current they produce, a critical step toward practical application, is still in its nascent stages. In this study, we explored a custom-designed, all-back-contact (ABC) configuration, which situates all electrical contacts on the rear side, to create glass-like transparent crystalline silicon (Si) solar cells and seamless modules. The ABC design not only demonstrates high power conversion efficiency (PCE) in solar cells but also ensures unobstructed visibility through transparent solar modules. Notably, ABCtransparent Si solar cells achieved a peak PCE of 15.8% while maintaining an average visible transmittance of 20%. Through seamlessly interconnecting the unit cells, the output voltage and power were systematically tuned from 0.64 V and 15.8 mW (for a 1 cm-sized unit cell) to 10.0 V and 235 mW (for a 16 cm-sized module). Furthermore, we successfully demonstrated the photocharging of a smartphone using a transparent ABC solar module.
透明太阳能电池（TSCs）作为持续能源发生器具有巨大潜力，使其能够应用于传统设备可能不可行的场景。然而，旨在将TSCs模块化以调节其产生的总电压和电流的研究仍处于初期阶段，而这是迈向实际应用的关键一步。在本研究中，我们探索了一种定制设计的全背接触（ABC）结构，即将所有电接触置于背面，以制造类似玻璃的透明晶体硅（Si）太阳能电池和无缝模块。ABC设计不仅在太阳能电池中展现出高功率转换效率（PCE），还能确保通过透明太阳能模块实现无障碍可视性。值得注意的是，ABC透明硅太阳能电池实现了15.8%的峰值PCE，同时保持了20%的平均可见光透过率。通过将单元电池无缝互连，输出电压和功率从0.64 V和15.8 mW（对于1 cm大小的单元电池）系统地调节到10.0 V和235 mW（对于16 cm大小的模块）。此外，我们成功展示了使用透明ABC太阳能模块为智能手机进行光充电。
