Spherical photovoltaic cells

What is a spherical solar cell?

Large-scale spherical solar cell based on monocrystalline silicon developed using a corrugated architecture. Flat solar panels still face big limitations when it comes to making the most of the available sunlight each day.

How are spherical Solar Cells fabricated?

The spherical solar cell is fabricated using our previously developed corrugation technique applied on commercial grade single-crystal silicon solar cells (25 in 2) with interdigitated back contacts (IBC) and 19% efficiency.

Are spherical solar cells better than flat solar cells?

The new work is detailed in a paper that has been submitted for review to the journal MRS Communications. Testing with the solar simulator lamp showed that the spherical solar cell provided 24 percent more power output over a traditional flat solar cell upon immediate exposure to sunlight.

Can spherical solar cells capture light three-dimensionally?

Unconventional techniques to benefit from the low-cost and high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells can lead to new device capabilities and engineering prospects. Here, a nature-inspired spherical solar cell is demonstrated, which is capable of capturing light three-dimensionally.

Can a spherical solar cell produce more power?

Indoor experiments with a solar simulator lamp have already shown that it can achieve between 15 percent and 100 percent more power output compared with a flat solar cell with the same ground area, depending on the background materials reflecting sunlight into the spherical solar cell.

How do spherical solar cells work?

The spherical solar cells are shown to be able to collect and harvest sunlight three-dimensionally. More specifically, the spherical solar cell acts as a sun-tracking flat cell with the same ground area, and horizontal and vertical flat cells with twice the ground area in terms of the diffuse and reflected beam, respectively.