This Engineer’s Solar Panels Are Breaking Effectivity Information

An unbeliever Chen was fascinated not solely by know-how but in addition by economics. An influence authority can pay its clients?

It’s like magic: helpful and useful electrical energy extracted from easy daylight. The surprise of all of it has fueled his desires ever since.

In 2013 Chen earned a Ph.D. in photovoltaic sciences and applied sciences, and is presently assistant vp of know-how at Trina Solar in China, an organization based mostly in Changzhou that is likely one of the largest PV producers on the earth. He leads the corporate’s R&D staff, whose efforts have set greater than two dozen world data for solar energy effectivity and output.

For Chen’s contributions to the science and know-how of photovoltaic power conversion, the IEEE member obtained in 2023 IEEE Stuart R. Wenham Young Professional Award from IEEE Electron Devices Society.

“I used to be very shocked and really grateful” to obtain the Wenham Award, Chen stated. “This is a high-level recognition, and there are numerous worthy specialists from around the globe.”

Trina Solar’s push for extra environment friendly {hardware}

Today’s business photo voltaic panels sometimes obtain about 20 p.c effectivity: They can flip a fifth of the captured daylight into electrical energy. Chen’s staff is making an attempt to make the panels extra environment friendly.

The group focuses on optimizing photo voltaic cell designs, together with the passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC), which is the business customary for commodity photo voltaic panels.

Invented in 1983, PERCs at the moment are utilized in nearly 90 p.c of the photo voltaic panels in the marketplace. They embody back and front coats to seize daylight extra successfully and to stop power loss, each on the floor and as daylight passes by way of the cell. The coatings, often called passivation layers, are made out of supplies corresponding to silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, and aluminum oxide. The layers stop negatively charged free electrons and positively charged electron holes, stopping them from combining on the floor of the photo voltaic cell and losing power.

Chen and his staff have developed a number of strategies to enhance the efficiency of PERC panels, hit a report 24.5 p.c effectivity by 2022. One of the applied sciences is a multilayer antireflective coating that helps photo voltaic panels lure extra mild. They additionally created extraordinarily nice fingers of metallization—slim strains on the floor of photo voltaic cells—to gather and conduct electrical energy and assist seize extra daylight. And they developed a sophisticated methodology of inserting strips of conductive metallic that run throughout the photo voltaic cell, often called bus bars.

Experts predict that the utmost effectivity of PERC know-how might be reached quickly, which can prime out at round 25 p.c.

IEEE Member Yifeng Chen demonstrated an i-TOPCon photo voltaic module, with a manufacturing effectivity of greater than 23 p.c and an influence output of as much as 720 watts.Trina Solar

“So the query is: How can we get photo voltaic cells extra environment friendly?” Chen stated.

For the previous few years he and his staff have been engaged on tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) know-how. The TOPCon cell makes use of a skinny layer of “tunneling oxide” insulating materials—often silicon dioxide—that’s utilized to the floor of the photo voltaic cell. Like the passivation layers of PERC cells, the tunnel oxide stops free electrons and electron holes from combining and losing power.

In 2022 Trina developed a TOPCon-type panel with a report 25.5 p.c effectivityand two months in the past the the corporate introduced it achieved a report of 740.6 watts for a mass-produced TOPCon photo voltaic module. The latter is the twenty sixth report Trina has set for photo voltaic power-related efficiencies and outputs.

To obtain that record-breaking efficiency for his or her TOPCon panels, Chen and his staff optimized the corporate’s manufacturing processes together with laser-induced firing, the place a laser heats up a part of the photo voltaic cell. and creates bonds between the metallic contacts and the silicon wafer. The ensuing connections are stronger and higher organized, bettering effectivity.

“We’re making an attempt to maintain bettering issues to lure much less daylight,” Chen stated. “Gaining 1 or 2 p.c extra effectivity is big. It might appear to be a small enhance, however on a big scale these small enhancements create numerous worth when it comes to economic system, sustainability, and worth in society.

As the effectivity of photo voltaic cells will increase and costs fall, Chen says, he expects solar energy to proceed to develop worldwide. China now leads the world in put in solar energy capability, accounting for about 40 p.c of world capability. The United States is a distant second, with 12 p.c, in keeping with a 2023 The Rystad Energy report. The report predicts that China’s 500 gigawatts of photo voltaic capability by 2023 is prone to exceed 1 terawatt by 2026.

“I used to be impressed to make use of science to create one thing helpful for folks, after which impressed to seek for excellence,” Chen stated. “We’re all the time studying one thing new to make that change, enhance that piece of know-how, and make it even higher.”

Trained by solar-power pioneers

Chen attended Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, earned a bachelor’s diploma in optics sciences and applied sciences in 2008. He stayed to pursue a Ph.D. in photovoltaics sciences and know-how. His analysis is on high-efficiency photo voltaic cells made out of wafer-based crystalline silicon. His adviser is Hui Shen, a number one PV professor and founding father of the college’s Institute for Solar Energy Systems. Chen known as him “the primary of three vital folks in my scientific profession.”

In 2011 Chen spent a yr as a Ph.D. scholar of Hanover at Leibniz University, in Germany. There he studied below Pietro P. Altemattthe second most influential individual in his profession.

Altermatt—a outstanding silicon solar-cell knowledgeable who later grew to become Trina’s principal scientist—suggested Chen on his computational strategies for modeling and analyzing the habits of 2D and 3D photo voltaic cells. Models play an vital function in designing photo voltaic cells to optimize their output.

“Gaining 1 or 2 p.c extra effectivity is big. It might appear to be a small enchancment, however at scale, these small enhancements create numerous worth when it comes to economic system, sustainability, and worth to society.

“Dr. defined Altematt modified the best way I have a look at issues,” Chen stated. “In Germany, they actually centered on the physics of the system.”

After finishing his Ph.D., Chen grew to become a technical assistant at Trina, the place he met the third most influential individual in his profession: Pierre Verlindena pioneering photovoltaic researcher who’s the corporate’s chief scientist.

At Trina, Chen shortly rose by way of R&D roles. He is the corporate’s assistant vp of know-how since 2023.

IEEE’s “wealth” of analysis

Chen joined IEEE as a scholar as a result of he wished to attend the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conferencethe longest-running occasion devoted to photovoltaics, photo voltaic cells, and solar energy.

The membership was particularly useful throughout his Ph.D. research, he stated, as a result of he used the IEEE Xplore Digital Library to entry archival papers.

“My work was undoubtedly impressed by the papers I discovered by way of IEEE,” Chen stated. “Also, you click on and skim different work that’s unrelated to your subject however very fascinating.

“The publication archive is a treasure. It’s eye-opening to see what is going on on inside and out of doors your business, with new discoveries occurring on a regular basis.