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Lookup NU author(s): Hannes Michaels, Professor Marina FreitagORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry. Many scenarios for Net Zero anticipate substantial growth of Solar PV generation to satisfy 30% of our electricity needs. However, this scale of deployment introduces challenges as supply may not meet demand, thereby necessitating energy storage and demand-side management. Here we demonstrate a different, complementary approach to resolving this challenge in which Solar PV generation can be made intrinsically less variable than commercial PV. Proof-of-concept dye-sensitised PVs for which the power conversion efficiency increases as light intensity reduces are demonstrated. Modelling of the UK mainland energy network predicts that these devices are more effective at displacing high carbon generation from coal and gas than commercial PV. The capacity factor of these PV devices are controlled by their design, and capacity factors >60% greater than silicon are predicted based on experimental data. These data demonstrate a new approach to designing PV devices in which minimising variability in generation is the goal. This new design target can be realised in a range of emerging technologies, including Perovskite PV and Organic PV, and is predicted to be more effective at delivering carbon reductions for a given energy network than commercial PV.
Author(s): Williams C, Michaels H, Crossland AF, Zhang Z, Shirshova N, MacKenzie RCI, Sun H, Kettle J, Freitag M, Groves C
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Energy and Environmental Science
Year: 2023
Volume: 16
Issue: 10
Pages: 4650-4659
Print publication date: 01/10/2023
Online publication date: 19/09/2023
Acceptance date: 07/09/2023
Date deposited: 17/10/2023
ISSN (print): 1754-5692
ISSN (electronic): 1754-5706
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
URL: https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ee00633f
DOI: 10.1039/d3ee00633f
Data Access Statement: Python codes embodying the Plant Dispatch model and Solar Farm cost calculations, as well as an Excel Worksheet for cost calculation of dye sensitised devices, are available from Durham Research Online https://doi.org/10.15128/r2xs55mc10f
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