Simulations of absorbance efficiency and power production of three dimensional tower arrays for use in photovoltaics

Abstract

The production of cheap energy from the sun will be a major research objective in the coming years. Major strides must be made in solar cell efficiency, including increasing absorbance efficiency of a cell by etching or texturing. In order to increase the absorbance efficiency of solar cells, we have developed a three-dimensional solar cell structure by depositing a cadmium telluride thin film overtop carbon nanotube towers. These towers act as both a scaffolding and an electrical interconnect. Multiple photon interactions as they reflect between these towers increase the absorption efficiency. We have developed a theoretical model and computer simulation to maximize the number of photon interactions due to the geometrical characteristics of the system (aspect ratio, spacing, size, shape, etc.). Simulated modeling has shown that by optimization of parameters, a three-dimensional cell can obtain up to a 300% increase in power production over traditional cells. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.