Cádiz, Spain--A group of researchers at the University of Cádiz has designed a new mapping system for the study of photovoltaic surfaces. The team, headed by Joaquín Martín Calleja, has developed the methodology for detecting faults, at the micrometer level, in photovoltaic solar panels resulting from manufacturing errors. The defects identified can then be made good and the performance of the panel enhanced.
The mapping device, which has been patented by the University of Cádiz, determines whether or not the cells mapped present irregularities in their functioning, according to the particular zone of the surface that is analyzed. These defects have a negative effect on the overall performance of the panel, since the defective cell will generate photoconversion values that are lower than the maximum theoretically possible.
Although devices that make point-to-point measurements of the cell by laser currently exist, none of these has achieved the accurate emulation of solar light. The majority of these systems are not available on the market, and they suffer from the limitation of using only monochromatic light as the source of irradiation. This is a serious limitation, because solar panels are used in full-spectrum sunlight.
In response, the Cádiz group has developed a system based on "trying to adapt the theories of vision to this system by mixing three laser beams (one red, one green, and another blue). We perform the same scanning with each laser, having adjusted their strength in such a way that a species of light is generated whose chromatic composition is similar to that of solar light," says Calleja.
"This new mapping equipment has not been designed with a direct commercial objective; rather, it is a scientific development that will facilitate our research work for future studies. However, this advance may be of interest to those universities working with energy-conversion systems, and who may be doing research in this field. It could similarly be made available commercially to laboratories of companies engaged in the design and manufacture of solar-energy equipment and who may be carrying out their own research work," says Calleja.
Solar cells activated by flowers
"The studies we have carried out in these cells were made possible by our collaboration with the department of Environmental Sciences of the University of Pablo de Olavide," adds Calleja. "In fact, we are also studying jointly with researchers of the UPO a noncommercial type of cell that is being developed fundamentally for research purposes, and is designated DSSC. These cells are based on a technology different from that of silicon: titanium oxide activated with a colorant. We make these cells utilizing not only synthetic but also natural colorants, from petals of bougainvillea and other flowers, as activators. Obviously the output obtained with them is much less than that obtainable with commercial silicon cells; but they are a good system to study since their fabrication does not require very substantial technological resources, to which universities do not usually have access."
John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)
John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.