The educational-oriented pack of computer
programs to simulate solar cell behavior
Aleksy Patryn 1
Stanisław M. Pietruszko 2
1)
Faculty of Electronics, Technical
University of Koszalin
2) Insitute of OptoMicroelectronics, Warsaw
University of Technology
POLAND
Overview of the presentation:
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Virtual labs in high school education
Conception of the virtual labs pack
Block 1 of the pack - exercises to study
fundamentals of solar cells as well as a role of
technology factor
Block 2 of the pack - typical student’s
laboratory exercises – solar cell parameter
measurement and analysis
Conclusions
Virtual labs in high school
education
The UNSW Key Centre for Photovoltaic …
(http://www.pv.unsw.edu.au/apvsc/index.htm)
PC1D Version 5:
32-bit Solar Cell Modeling on Personal Computers
http://www.pv.unsw.edu.au/26thieee/clugston.html
Donald A. Clugston and Paul A. Basore
Photovoltaics Special Research Centre
University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
Virtual labs in high school
education
PV-Spice (http://chuck-wright.com/apppv/pv_spice.html )
Simulation of Solar Cell Properties with
Electronic Circuit Simulation Software
Virtual labs in high school
education
TU-Berlin
ILSE The Interactive
Learning System for
Renewable Energy
http://emsolar.ee.tu-berlin.de/~ilse/solar/index_e.html
Conception of the virtual
labs pack
The educational-oriented pack of software to simulate
solar cell behavior has been designed in a form of virtual
exercises.
The
part
of the
pack
has been
designed in a
Thesecond
first part
of the
pack
is a group
of exercises
form
of typical
student’s
laboratory
exercises. The
which
give the
opportunities
of introduction
to main
part
of that pack
gives
opportunities
introduce
fundamentals
of solar
cells
and to studytoa role
measurement
data (values
current
voltage
of technology
factors ofon
the depending
solar cell
values)
in the same way as in real experiment and do
parameters.
analysis of its characteristic on a base of the simple
model.
Conception of the virtual
labs pack
Virtual laboratory on Solar Cells Parameters
Block 1
Task: solar cell parameters in a relation to
its intrinsic characteristics.
Variable parameters:

T, nn0, np0, Nt, , Wn, Wp, s0, si, dEt, A
Calculated intrinsic parameters:

Fn, Fp, tn,tp,Ln,Lp, D, mn, mp,
Evaluated output parameters:
 I-V (dark and light), , FF, , P max, V max,
Imax, I(n)(l), I(p)(l), I(spl)(l)
Software:
MathCAD, MathConnex,
LabWindows/CVI
Block 2
Task: simulation of solar cell parameter
measurements in a relation to it output
characteristics.
Variable parameters:
T, S, Iph, Io, Rs, Gch
Evaluated output parameters:
 I-V (light), , FF, P max, Vmax, Imax, I(n)(l),
I(p)(l), I(spl)(l)
Software:
Visual Basic
Block 1 of the pack - exercises to
study fundamentals of solar cells as
well as a role of technology factor
The first block is an application which allows carrying out
the analysis of a silicon solar cell structure and, as a
consequence, to evaluate its working characteristics. It has
been designed in a form of a virtual generator of the output
dependencies describing a solar element on entered data
or of a material (structure) parameters.
Final
A
number
calculations
of parameters
of cell parameters
in both n- within
and p-layers
this application
may be
are based
taken
into onaccount
a two-layer
and single-diode
may be changed
model but
(type
in initial
and
calculations a offew
concentration
main
more
doping
fundamental
impurities,models
concentration
have been
and
taken into
energy
level
account.
of recombination centers, velocity of surface
recombination at both front and interlayer surface).
The software uses those parameters to evaluate working
dark and light I-V characteristics as well spectral
characteristics of solar cell in relation to those parameters.
Block 1 of the pack - exercises to
study fundamentals of solar cells as
well as a role of technology factor
This block of the virtual laboratory is developed on the
basis of two software platforms. As a first stage, the
complete model and all its calculations were
completely created using the MathCAD software.
Block 1 of the pack - exercises to
study fundamentals of solar cells as
well as a role of technology factor
Part of variable or calculated parameters :
T - temperature, nn0, np0 - free carriers concentrations,
Nt, dEt, - deep centers (traps) concentration and depth,
Wn, Wp, - width of n- and p-layers of cell structure, Dp-n junction
depth s0, si, - surface recombination velocity at
external and intrinsic surfaces, A – illumination of the
cell when it is measured, Fn, Fp,- Fermi levels position
in n- and p-layers,
tn,tp, Ln, Lp, mn, mp - minority
carriers lifetime, diffusion length and carriers mobility
n- and p-layers, , - solar cell efficiency, FF – fillfactor,
Ld - minority carriers diffusion length in bulk Silicon.
Symbols I(n)(l), I(p)(l), I(spl)(l) mean current value
separately for electrons, holes and current of e-h pairs
in the spatial charge layer.
Block 1 of the pack - exercises to
study fundamentals of solar cells as
well as a role of technology factor
The samples of screen interface
in MathCAD part of the exercise.
It is seen parameters been
calculated.
Block 1 of the pack - exercises to
study fundamentals of solar cells as
well as a role of technology factor
The working part of the application, using practically
same mathematical formulas and practically the same
algorithms of calculations as the MathCad part, was
executed in a form of independent application (in a
form of so called "project") in LabWidows/CVI.
Within this block it is possible to carry out change of
wide group of input parameters determining structure
and internal properties of solar cell parameters
Block 1 of the pack - exercises to
study fundamentals of solar cells as
well as a role of technology factor
The samples of screen interface
in LabWindow/CVI – control
panels
Block 1 of the pack - exercises to
study fundamentals of solar cells as
well as a role of technology factor
The samples of screen interface
in LabWindow/CVI – Panels of
the results – dark characteristics
Block 1 of the pack - exercises to
study fundamentals of solar cells as
well as a role of technology factor
The parameters
Basing
on the input
are being
parameters,
evaluated
the on the
student
basiscan
of
evaluate
the
elementary
a number
formulas
of internal
on theory
parameters
of semiconductors
of a solar
cell, give
and
for example
an approximate
concentration
data. and
The mobility
main restriction
of carriers
of
in bothmodels
used
active is
layers,
that in
their
all diffusion
cases thelength
semiconductor
and lifetime,
is
depth of as
assumed
thenon-degenerate
Fermi level, parameters
one. The calculations
of a spatial
do
charge
not
givelayer
extremely
or barrier
highvoltage.
accuracyThe
butestimation
allows students
of this
parameters
to
get a look
are entered
into interrelation
into laboratory
of the
exercises
internal
in
the aim of fastening
parameters
with output
knowledge
parameters
of the
and
student
to estimate
in the
field numerical
real
of physicsmeanings
of semiconductors
of those parameters,
related to which
solar
are necessary for the analysis
cells. of working parameters
of a solar cell.
Block 1 of the pack - exercises to
study fundamentals of solar cells as
well as a role of technology factor
The samples of screen interface
in LabWindow/CVI –panels of the
results – light characteristics
Block 2 of the pack - exercises to
solar cell parameter measurement
and analysis
The second block is more traditional set of virtual
exercises. This block implements a task of virtual
measurements of parameters of a solar cell. It allows a
student to define working external and internal
parameters of the solar cell on the basis of entered
points of the light I-V characteristic of solar cell.
Both output and internal standard parameters of solar cells
are being evaluated on basis of the numeric data of the I-V
curve inputted manually by a user.
This block of exercises has been developed using Visual
Basic software and it may be used as an independent
application as a compiled application.
Block 2 of the pack - exercises to
solar cell parameter measurement
and analysis
The program consists on three exercises:
“Ex nr 1” – Evaluation extrinsic and extrinsic
parameters of a solar cell on a base of its I_
characteristics
“Ex nr 2” – Visualization of the changes the I-V
characteristics of a cell as a function of its intrinsic
parameters
Ex nr 3 - Visualization of the changes of
photocurrent under monochromatic light as a
function of technological parameters of the solar
cell
The samples of screen interface –
control panels
Laboratory Exercise nr 1
Laboratory Exercise nr 2
Laboratory Exercise nr 3
HELP – elements of theory
Exit
About
Block 2 of the pack - exercises to
solar cell parameter measurement
and analysis
The samples of screen interface –
HELP Menu
Block 2 of the pack - exercises to
solar cell parameter measurement
and analysis
The samples of screen interface –
panels of the results
Exercise # 1
The samples of screen interface –
panels of the results
Exercises # 2 and 3
Conclusions
Presented
packpackage
of virtual student's
laboratory
on solar cells
The whole
of the virtual
laboratory
is
parameters
analysis
allows
to simulate
a number
of task
available for
student
and
to university
teachers
related to its topic. The authors consider the package as a
within
the University network as the installation
first stage to design the following versions to higher
software
in didactic
a formlevel.
of download files by using the
research and
user’s access password. The package has been
Presented
virtualused
laboratory
any a case
not carry a
successfully
at inFaculty
ofdoes
Electronics,
role of a measuring center. It is only the educational tool
Technical
University
of Koszalin,
and at
Institute
allowing to simplify
introducing
of the students
to the
whole
of
Microelectronics
and Optoelectronics,
complex
of aspects related
to solar cells andWarsaw
to large
number
of the
which influence
action.
University
offactors
Technology,
both initsPoland.
The educational-oriented pack of computer
programs to simulate solar cell behavior
Authors:
Prof. dr hab. Aleksy Patryn
patrin@tu.koszalin.pl
Dr inż. Stanisław M. Pietruszko
pietruszko@imio.pw.edu.pl
POLAND
Thank you for your attention.