Solar Energy

Current-voltage characterization was carried out on dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with different photoanode areas ranging from 0.01 cm 2 to 1 cm 2 . Surprisingly, we found that the short-circuit current density and the efficiency of the solar cells increased exponentially as the photoaonode...

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), while only having been designed about twenty years ago, are considered to be one of the most promising third-generation solar cell technologies among experts. One of the key features of DSSCs is a mesoporous, 10 micron layer of titania nanoparticles which acts as...

A three-dimensional steady state computational fluid dynamics model is developed for a solar receiver consisting of a reflective cavity with a windowed aperture enclosing an array of five tubes. The computational model couples radiative transfer with fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transfer, and...

Present-day photovoltaic technology is predominantly based on the fabrication of solar cells from silicon. The cost and efficiency of silicon-based solar cells depend primarily on the growth rate and degree of single-crystallinity attained by the growth process. Traditional silicon crystal growth...

Transient heat transfer is analyzed numerically for a directly-irradiated solar thermochemical reactor realizing a ceria-based partial redox cycle for production of synthesis gas from water and carbon dioxide. The numerical model couples conduction, convection, and radiation heat transfer modes to...

A detailed model of a real solar thermal power plant has been built using a steady state power plant simulation software. The plant includes numerous parabolic trough collectors tracking the sun on a single axis. A heat transfer fluid flows in the focal line of the troughs collecting solar heat...

In this work, we present a multi-scale modeling approach for solar grade silicon production in fluidized bed reactor (FBR) by thermal decomposition of silane. The FBR process has been commercialized by several companies and promises to deliver poly-silicon at reasonable and stable price. Silane...

Abstract: TiO2 nanowires were sensitized with CdS and CdTeS quantum dots which were grown using an in situ colloidal method using both conventional organic solvents and supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). No pretreatment of the TiO2 nanowires was required prior to nanoparticle generation. The...

As concerns over U.S. energy security and global warming increase, the need to develop alternative and renewable sources of energy is more important than ever before. One promising renewable energy scenario involves the use of microalgae as feedstocks that convert solar radiation and CO2 into...