About the Course

As a consequence of rising concern about the impact of conventional energy resources such as fossil fuels on global warming and climate change, Solar energy is considered one of the most promising, abundant, and attractive sources to decrease or even replace such pollutant and depleted resources in the coming future. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has flourished as a sustainable source of clean energy to harvest and convert solar energy into electricity. A solar PV system comprises solar cells, modules, and arrays. The solar cell is thus the basic building block of a PV system. The solar cell is a device made from semiconducting materials, which is capable of absorbing photons of sunlight, as a result of which free electron-hole pairs are produced. These pairs can be extracted to produce electricity through an external load. This process of conversion of (solar) light to electricity is called the (solar) photovoltaic effect.

This Solar Cells Best Practices training course is intended to deliver to the delegates the physics of solar cells concerning basic principles up to advanced concepts and best practices. The basic operating principles of the solar cell are derived, and the solar cell figures of merit are defined. Also, this course contains current knowledge on the mechanisms of solar cells. A comparison of solar cell materials is presented, including the developments in traditional photovoltaic materials and the new generations of solar cells. Moreover, solar cell fabrication techniques with different structures are discussed.

Core Objectives

The delegates will achieve the following objectives: 

• Define the optical and electrical properties of the solar cells
• Identify the different types of solar cells materials and structures
• Understand fabrication techniques and related technologies of solar cells
• Be acquainted with the modelling and simulation of solar cells
• Assess the performance of the solar cells
• Know the new trends in solar cells technology

Training Approach

This training course will be conducted using power point presentations, lecture notes with interactive discussions, and feedback. Real-life examples, study cases, and simple renewable energy projects are explained, discussed, and analyzed. Moreover, preliminary sessions will be introduced at the beginning of every day to outline the daily topics and the intended learning objectives. Also, daily review sessions with questions and answers will be channeled at the end of each day to confirm that the intended course objectives have been achieved.

The Attendees

This training course is prepared attentively to provide the delegates with the physics of solar cells concerning basic principles up to advanced concepts and best practices. The photovoltaic effect is explained using the optical and electrical properties of the semiconductors. Then, the equivalent circuit of the solar cell is derived, and hence its performance is evaluated. New materials and structures are also investigated for new solar cells generations.

Likewise, it will be valuable to the professionals but not limited to the following:

• Renewable Energy Specialists
• Engineering Professionals
• Maintenance, Operation Engineers, and Technicians
• Power plants Engineers and Technicians
• Environment, Management, and Quality Engineers
• Electrical Supervisors

Daily Discussion

DAY ONE: BASIC SOLAR CELLS PRINCIPLES

• History of Solar Cells and PV Systems
• Sunlight Spectrum
• Thermodynamic Background
• Semiconductor Fundamentals
• Photovoltaic Phenomenon
• Properties of Efficient Solar Cells
• Economic, Health, Safety and Environmental Issues

DAY TWO: SOLAR CELLS MODELING

• Solar Cell Equivalent Circuits
• The Solar Cell I -V Characteristics
• Solar Cells Figure Of Merits
• Losses in Solar Cells
• Theoretical Limits of Solar Cells Efficiencies

DAY THREE: SEMICONDUCTING MATERIALS FOR SOLAR PV CELLS

• Single Crystalline Silicon
• Multicrystalline Silicon
• Amorphous Silicon
• polycrystalline Thin Films
• Single-crystalline Thin Films 

DAY FOUR: SOLAR CELLS TYPES, FABRICATION TECHNOLOGY, AND PRACTICES

• Amorphous Silicon Multijunction Solar Cells
• Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells
• Multijunction Polymer Solar Cells
• Organic Solar Cells
• Dye-sensitized Solar Cells
• Slot-die Coating
• Full Roll-to-Roll Processing 

DAY FIVE: SOLAR CELLS NEW GENERATIONS

• First and Second Solar Cells Generation
• Efficiency Improvement and Loss Reduction Techniques
• The Third Generation of Solar Cells
• The Fourth Generation of Solar Cells
• Solar Cell Encapsulates and Anti-reflection Coating