Electricity from photovoltaic solar cells: Flat-Plate Solar Array Project final report. Volume V: Process development
- Creators
- Gallagher, B.
- Alexander, P.
- Burger, D.
Abstract
The Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project, funded by the U.S. Government and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was formed in 1975 to develop the module/array technology needed to attain widespread terrestrial use of photovoltaics by 1985. To accomplish this, the FSA Project established and managed an Industry, University, and Federal Government Team to perform the needed research and development. The goal of the Process Development Area, as part of the FSA Project, was to develop and demonstrate solar cell fabrication and module assembly process technologies required to meet the cost, lifetime, production capacity, and performance goals of the FSA Project. Early in the Assessment Phase, it became apparent that available processes were incapable of meeting the cost goals of the Project. Also, neither the 20-year (later increased to 30-year) reliability goal nor the effects of processing on reliability had ever been assessed. This document is a summary of the FSA-sponsored research and development efforts expended by Government, Industry, and Universities in developing processes capable of meeting the Project's goals during volume production conditions. The cost goals allocated for processing were demonstrated by small volume quantities that were extrapolated by cost analyses to large-volume production. Program redirection precluded planned large-volume demonstrations and, in the final phase of the Project, efforts were directed toward research-oriented processing to produce high-efficiency cells. High-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells are continuing to evolve in research laboratories. When efficiency increases resulting from these new cell designs level off, there is a need to develop high-volume, low-cost processes that will retain these efficiency improvements and capture the economic benefits. To provide proper focus and coverage of the Process Development effort, four separate technology sections are discussed in this document: surface preparation, junction formation, metallization, and module assembly.
Additional Information
5101-289 Flat-Plate Solar Array Project DOE/JPL-1012-125 Distribution Category UC-63b Authorities in the field were used throughout this program as consultants to provide critiques, participate in critical technology reviews, and address specific technical problems. J. Parker, of Electrink Inc., and R. Vest, Director of the Turner Laboratory at Purdue University, were consultants in the area of material science; M. Wolf, of the University of Pennsylvania, consulted in the area of modeling and economics of specific processes; K. Wang, of the University of California, Los Angeles, consulted in the area of device physics; and Theodore Barry and Associates in production management. Jet Propulsion Laboratory staff members were involved in laboratory research, technology critiques, process and problem analyses, and the technical management of contracts. The following engineers contributed to this program: D. Bickler (Area Manager), P. Alexander, D. Burger, J. Behm, D. Boyd, D. Fitzgerald, B. Gallagher, W. Hasbach, R. Josephs, A. Lawson, L. Sanchez, E. Drouet, C. Olson, and C. Radics. The contributions of support personnel, which included E. Fortier, L. Gee, K. Gray, L. Midling, J. Knox, and J. Stebbins, are gratefully acknowledged. This document reports on work done under NASA Task RE-152, Amendment 419, DOE/NASA IAA No. DEA101-85CE89008. Prepared by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, for the U.S. Department of Energy through an agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The JPL Flat-Plate Solar Array Project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and is part of the National Photovoltaics Program to initiate a major effort toward the development of cost-competitive solar arrays.Attached Files
Published - JPLPub86-31volV.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 15038
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:JPLpub86-31-volumeV
- Department of Energy
- Created
-
2009-08-19Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2019-10-03Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Series Name
- JPL Publication
- Series Volume or Issue Number
- 86-31,