Researches on Anti-reflection Coating (ARC) Methods Used in PV Systems

Year 2018, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 42 - 46, 15.02.2018

Nazmi Ekren

https://doi.org/10.17694/bajece.402004

Cited By: 3

Abstract

With the development
of PV systems’ technology over the years and the reduction of production costs,
PV systems are now being used for electricity generation. PV systems are listed
among the renewable energy sources as the only requirement is solar energy and electricity
generation is carried out without any fuel and waste. Solar cells used in PV
systems are adversely affected by extremes of temperature, shading, reflection,
and pollution. It is known that before sunrays reach the cell’s surface, some
of them disappears from the protective glass surface and are reflected back
from the cell through the glass surface. Anti-reflection coatings (ARC) are
used to reduce the energy loss and increase solar cell efficiency and output
power. SiO₂ and MgF₂ are the most commonly used solutions
among these coatings. It has been seen that the most efficient applications,
with anti-reflection coatings as single, double, triple and more layers, are in
triple layers applications. It has been observed that applications to the protective
glass surface have self-cleaning properties, and TiO₂ and ZrO₂
are frequently used for this. The reflectance index of the protective glass,
which is normally 1.51, can be reduced to 1.20 in silicone cells and 1.28 in
thin film surfaces with the AR coatings.

Keywords

PV systems, Anti-reflection, Anti-reflective Coating, Reflection index

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