The Viability of Nanotechnology-based InGaN Solar Photovoltaic Devices for Sustainable Energy Generation
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The Viability of Nanotechnology-based InGaN Solar Photovoltaic Devices for Sustainable Energy Generation Joshua M. Pearce1,2, Chenlong Zhang1, Joseph Rozario2, and Jephias Gwamuri1 1 Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton, MI, 49931-1295, U.S.A. 2 Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton, MI, 49931-1295, U.S.A. ABSTRACT The unrestrained combustion of fossil fuels has resulted in vast pollution at the local scale throughout the world, while contributing to global warming at a rate that seriously threatens the stability of many of the world's ecosystems. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is a clean, sustainable and renewable energy conversion technology that can help meet the energy demands of the world’s growing population. Although PV technology is mature with commercial modules obtaining over 20% conversion efficiency there remains considerable opportunities to improve performance. The nearly global access to the solar resource coupled to nanotechnology innovation-driven decreases in the costs of PV, provides a path for a renewable energy source to significantly reduce the adverse anthropogenic impacts of energy use by replacing fossil fuels. This study explores several approaches to improving indium gallium nitride-based PV efficiency with nanotechnology: optical enhancement, microstructural optimization for electronic material quality and increasing the spectral response via bandgap engineering. The results showing multibandgap engineering with InGaN and impediments to widespread deployment and commercialization are discussed including technical viability, intellectual property laws and licensing, material resource scarcities, and economics. Future work is outlined and conclusions are drawn to overcome these limitations and improve PV device performance using methods that can scale to the necessary terawatt level. INTRODUCTION Global energy demand continues to climb as combustion of fossil fuels to serve that demand destabilizes the global climate and threatens the long-term health of the economy [1-3]. Global civilization requires inexpensive, reliable, and sustainable energy sources. Solar photovoltaic (PV) devices, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, offer enormous potential as a source of the needed sustainable energy [4]. Solar PV has grown to what is now a on the order of 100GW of global capacity with 29GW additional PV produced in 2012, but as Richard Smalley has pointed out, 14.5 TeraWatts (TW) is needed to provide even current demand [5]. This means the global PV market needs to scale by two to three orders of magnitude to meet the projected demand by the end of the century. This growth is likely to be driven by reduced costs and higher performance. Solar cells on the market are generally 10-20% efficient. In order to compete economically with fossil fuels in all markets in the current landscape where conventional fuel sources are highly subsidized,
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