Comparison of a:Si and c:Si Photovoltaic Cells in Southern Minnesota

Location

CSU 202

Start Date

21-4-2008 10:00 AM

End Date

21-4-2008 12:00 PM

Student's Major

Physics and Astronomy

Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Mentor's Name

Hai-Sheng Wu

Mentor's Department

Physics and Astronomy

Mentor's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Description

Historically all energy has been gathered from the sun. It should come as no surprise that after two centuries of heavy fossil fuel use, the energy economy of the future is returning to utilize the sun. In particular, Minnesota adopted an aggressive plan in 2007 to increase the amount of energy generated from renewable sources. Photovoltaic cells offer an avenue away from fossil fuels. While not the only types of photovoltaic cells, amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon offer two attractive options. This study compares performances of the two solar cell types by monitoring current and voltage characteristics over an extended time period. In conjunction with solar irradiance, atmospheric pressure, and temperature data obtained from the WALTER Weather Station here on the MSU campus, a photovoltaic cell comparison is made between these two types. Brief energy and economic summaries are presented.

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Apr 21st, 10:00 AM Apr 21st, 12:00 PM

Comparison of a:Si and c:Si Photovoltaic Cells in Southern Minnesota

CSU 202

Historically all energy has been gathered from the sun. It should come as no surprise that after two centuries of heavy fossil fuel use, the energy economy of the future is returning to utilize the sun. In particular, Minnesota adopted an aggressive plan in 2007 to increase the amount of energy generated from renewable sources. Photovoltaic cells offer an avenue away from fossil fuels. While not the only types of photovoltaic cells, amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon offer two attractive options. This study compares performances of the two solar cell types by monitoring current and voltage characteristics over an extended time period. In conjunction with solar irradiance, atmospheric pressure, and temperature data obtained from the WALTER Weather Station here on the MSU campus, a photovoltaic cell comparison is made between these two types. Brief energy and economic summaries are presented.

Recommended Citation

Freiderich, Robert. "Comparison of a:Si and c:Si Photovoltaic Cells in Southern Minnesota." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 21, 2008.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2008/oral-session-04/5