Variable-spectrum solar simulator

The invention relates to a variable-spectrum solar simulator for characterising photovoltaic systems. The simulator can be used to obtain a spectrum adjusted to the solar spectrum, both for a standard spectrum or a real spectrum adjusted to local irradiation conditions. The simulator also allows the spatial-angular characteristics of the sun to be reproduced. The invention comprises: a broad-spectrum light source, the flux from which is emitted through an aperture; an optical system which collimates the primary source; a system which disperses the beam chromatically; an optical system which forms an image of the dispersed primary source at a given position, at which a spatial mask is placed in order to filter the received irradiance spectrally; an optical system which captures the filtered spectrum and returns, mixes and concentrates same in a secondary source with the desired spectral, angular, and spatial characteristics; an optical system which collimates the secondary source such that it reproduces the angular characteristics of the sun; and a control system.

The visual (grating and glass lens) solar spectrum in 1884 /

"From the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. XXXII, pt. III."

Solar radio emission; spectral observations in the decameter range, 24 July 1959-28 February 1961.

Cover title.

Researches on the chemical origin of various lines in solar and stellar spectra : being the results of investigations made at the Solar physics observatory, South Kensington, after discussion /

At head of title: Solar physics committee.

Organic thin-film photovoltaics

Zusammenfassung Zur Verbesserung der Leistungsumwandlung in organischen Solarzellen sind neue Materialien von zentraler Bedeutung, die sämtliche Erfordernisse für organische Photovoltaik-Elemente erfüllen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit „Organic thin-film photovoltaics“ wurden im Hinblick auf ein besseres Verständnis der Zusammenhänge zwischen molekularer Struktur und der Leistungsfähigkeit neue Materialien in „bulk-heterojunction“ Solarzellen und in Festphasen-Farbstoffsensibilisierten Solarzellen untersucht. Durch die Anwendung selbstorganisierender Materialien, diskotischer Graphen-Derivate oder konjugierter Polymere in Verbindung mit entsprechenden Akzeptoren in den „bulk-heterojunction“ Solarzellen wurde gezeigt, dass mit einer Erhöhung der Ordnung durch thermische Behandlung eine verbesserte Leistung des Photovoltaik-Elements einhergeht. In den Festphasen-Farbstoffsensibilisierten Solarzellen wurden zwei neue Farbstoffe untersucht, und es konnte gezeigt werden, dass diese gute Leistung zeigten. Ferner ermöglicht das komplementäre Absorptionsvermögen der beiden Farbstoffe die Herstellung von Vollspektrum-Zellen.

Cartes synoptiques de la chromosphere solaire et catalogue des filaments de la couche superieure /

Mode of access: Internet.

A high-resolution near-infrared extraterrestrial solar spectrum derived from ground-based Fourier transform spectrometer measurements

A detailed spectrally-resolved extraterrestrial solar spectrum (ESS) is important for line-by-line radiative transfer modeling in the near-infrared (near-IR). Very few observationally-based high-resolution ESS are available in this spectral region. Consequently the theoretically-calculated ESS by Kurucz has been widely adopted. We present the CAVIAR (Continuum Absorption at Visible and Infrared Wavelengths and its Atmospheric Relevance) ESS which is derived using the Langley technique applied to calibrated observations using a ground-based high-resolution Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) in atmospheric windows from 2000–10000 cm-1 (1–5 μm). There is good agreement between the strengths and positions of solar lines between the CAVIAR and the satellite-based ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment-FTS) ESS, in the spectral region where they overlap, and good agreement with other ground-based FTS measurements in two near-IR windows. However there are significant differences in the structure between the CAVIAR ESS and spectra from semi-empirical models. In addition, we found a difference of up to 8 % in the absolute (and hence the wavelength-integrated) irradiance between the CAVIAR ESS and that of Thuillier et al., which was based on measurements from the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science satellite and other sources. In many spectral regions, this difference is significant, as the coverage factor k = 2 (or 95 % confidence limit) uncertainties in the two sets of observations do not overlap. Since the total solar irradiance is relatively well constrained, if the CAVIAR ESS is correct, then this would indicate an integrated “loss” of solar irradiance of about 30 W m-2 in the near-IR that would have to be compensated by an increase at other wavelengths.

The effect of chosen extraterrestrial solar spectrum on clear-sky atmospheric absorption and heating rates in the near infrared

The extraterrestrial solar spectrum (ESS) is an important component in near infrared (near-IR) radiative transfer calculations. However, the impact of a particular choice of the ESS in these regions has been given very little attention. A line-by-line (LBL) transfer model has been used to calculate the absorbed solar irradiance and solar heating rates in the near-IR from 2000-10000 cm−1(1-5 μm) using different ESS. For overhead sun conditions in a mid-latitude summer atmosphere, the absorbed irradiances could differ by up to about 11 Wm−2 (8.2%) while the tropospheric and stratospheric heating rates could differ by up to about 0.13 K day−1 (8.1%) and 0.19 K day−1 (7.6%). The spectral shape of the ESS also has a small but non-negligible impact on these factors in the near-IR.

Optical spectrum of bottom-up graphene nanoribbons: towards efficient atom-thick excitonic solar cells

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Upconverter materials and upconversion solar-cell devices: simulation and characterization with broad solar spectrum illumination

Upconverter materials and upconverter solar devices were recently investigated with broad-band excitation revealing the great potential of upconversion to enhance the efficiency of solar cell at comparatively low solar concentration factors. In this work first attempts are made to simulate the behavior of the upconverter β-NaYF4 doped with Er3+ under broad-band excitation. An existing model was adapted to account for the lower absorption of broader excitation spectra. While the same trends as observed for the experiments were found in the simulation, the absolute values are fairly different. This makes an upconversion model that specifically considers the line shape function of the ground state absorption indispensable to achieve accurate simulations of upconverter materials and upconverter solar cell devices with broadband excitations, such as the solar radiation.

Intermediate Band Solar Cell with Extreme Broadband Spectrum Quantum Efficiency

We report, for the first time, about an intermediate band solar cell implemented with InAs/AlGaAs quantum dots whose photoresponse expands from 250 to ~ 6000  nm. To our knowledge, this is the broadest quantum efficiency reported to date for a solar cell and demonstrates that the intermediate band solar cell is capable of producing photocurrent when illuminated with photons whose energy equals the energy of the lowest band gap. We show experimental evidence indicating that this result is in agreement with the theory of the intermediate band solar cell, according to which the generation recombination between the intermediate band and the valence band makes this photocurrent detectable. © 2015 American Physical Society

The Solar Spectrum in the Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert has been pointed out as one of the places on earth where the highest surface irradiance may occur. This area is characterized by its high altitude, prevalent cloudless conditions and relatively low columns of ozone and water vapor. Aimed at the characterization of the solar spectrum in the Atacama Desert, we carried out in February-March 2015 ground-based measurements of the spectral irradiance (from the ultraviolet to the near infrared) at seven locations that ranged from the city of Antofagasta (on the southern pacific coastline) to the Chajnantor Plateau (5,100 m altitude). Our spectral measurements allowed us to retrieve the total ozone column, the precipitable water, and the aerosol properties at each location. We found that changes in these parameters, as well as the shorter optical path length at high-altitude locations, lead to significant increases in the surface irradiance with the altitude. Our measurements show that, in the range 0-5100 m altitude, surface irradiance increases with the altitude by about 27% in the infrared range, 6% in the visible range, and 20% in the ultraviolet range. Spectral measurements carried out at the Izana Observatory (Tenerife, Spain), in Hannover (Germany) and in Santiago (Chile), were used for further comparisons.

Light harvesting in solar cells using natural pigments from red fruits adsorbed to mesoporous TiO2

Nature has developed strategies to present us with a wide variety of colours, from the green of leaves to the bright colours seen in flowers. Anthocyanins are between these natural pigments that are responsible for the great diversity of colours seen in flowers and fruits. Anthocyanins have been used to sensitize titanium dioxide (TiO2) in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs). DSSCs have become one of the most popular research topic in photovoltaic cells due to their low production costs when compared to other alternatives. DSSCs are inspired in what happens in nature during photosynthesis. A primary charge separation is achieved by means of a photoexcited dye capable of performing the electron injection into the conduction band of a wide band-gap semiconductor, usually TiO2. With this work we aimed to synthesize a novel mesoporous TiO2 structure as the semiconductor in order to increase the dye loading. We used natural occurring dyes such as anthocyanins and their synthetic flavylium relatives, as an alternative to the widely used metal complexes of Ru(II) which are expensive and are environmentally unsafe. This offers not only the chance to use safer dyes for DSSCs, but also to take profit of waste biological products, such as wine and olive oil production residues that are heavily loaded with anthocyanin dyes. We also performed a photodegradation study using TiO2 as the catalyst to degrade dye contaminants, such as those from the wine production waste, by photo-irradiation of the system in the visible region of the light spectrum. We were able to succeed in the synthesis of mesoporous TiO2 both powder and thin film, with a high capacity to load a large amount of dye. We proved the concept of photodegradation using TiO2 as catalyst. And finally, we show that wine production waste is a possible dye source to DSSCs application.