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Fundamentals of Intermediate Band Solar Cells

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Next Generation of Photovoltaics

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Optical Sciences ((SSOS,volume 165))

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Abstract

Intermediate band solar cells aim to exploit the energy of below bandgap energy photons. They are based on materials that are characterised by the existence of an additional electronic band (intermediate band) located in between the conduction and valence band. An optimised IBSC has near the same limiting efficiency potential (63.2%) than a triple junction solar cells but without requiring tunnel junctions to connect the single gap solar cells. This chapter reviews its fundamental theory and introduces the different approaches that are being followed towards its implementation: quantum dots, the insertion of suitable impurities into a semiconductor host at sufficiently high densities (bulk approach) and the molecular approaches.

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Acknowledgements

Authors acknowledge the financial support of the European Project IBPOWER (211640) to carry out their research on intermediate band solar cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Energía Solar, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Avenida de la Complutense 30, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Antonio Martí

  2. Instituto de Energía Solar, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Antonio Luque

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  1. Antonio Martí
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  2. Antonio Luque
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Correspondence to Antonio Martí .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. E.T.S.I. Telecommunicacion, Inst. Energia Solar, Universidad Politéchnica de Madrid, Avda. de la Complutense s/n, Madrid, 28041, Spain

    Ana Belén Cristóbal López

  2. E.T.S.I. Telecommunicacion, Inst. Energia Solar, Universidad Politéchnica de Madrid, Avda. de la Complutense s/n, Madrid, 28041, Spain

    Antonio Martí Vega

  3. E.T.S.I. Telecommunicacion, Inst. Energia Solar, Universidad Politéchnica de Madrid, Avda. de la Complutense s/n, Madrid, 28041, Spain

    Antonio Luque López

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Martí, A., Luque, A. (2012). Fundamentals of Intermediate Band Solar Cells. In: Cristóbal López, A., Martí Vega, A., Luque López, A. (eds) Next Generation of Photovoltaics. Springer Series in Optical Sciences, vol 165. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23369-2_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23369-2_8

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