Microlens Solar Cell Array for High Efficiency Low Cost
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional solar cells face challenges in achieving high efficiency and low production costs while maintaining a large area, with inorganic cells being expensive and inefficient, and organic cells being inefficient and easily scalable.
Innovation Solution
A solar cell apparatus utilizing a plate with arranged microlenses to concentrate light onto small solar cells, allowing for precise assembly and increased energy conversion efficiency through fluidic self-assembly and the use of flexible polymer materials, enabling easy installation and reduced costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If inorganic solar cells are used, then efficiency is improved, but production cost increases and large area realization becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The solar cell system is segmented into two functional components: microlenses that concentrate light and small-area high-efficiency solar cells that convert light to electricity. This segmentation allows the expensive high-efficiency cells to cover only the focal areas rather than the entire large area, reducing material costs while maintaining high conversion efficiency at the active sites.
Solution Approach 2:
Microlenses serve as an intermediary component between the incident light and the solar cells. They concentrate and focus the light onto the small solar cells, enabling the system to achieve high energy conversion efficiency with reduced solar cell area, thereby lowering production costs while maintaining performance.
2Loss of energy
If inorganic solar cells are used, then efficiency is improved, but large area realization becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the large area into many small focal regions, each handled by an individual microlens-solar cell unit. This segmentation enables the construction of large-area solar arrays by simply adding more lens-cell units without requiring large individual solar cells, thus achieving both high efficiency and large scale.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a direct areal relationship (large area requiring large cells) to a volumetric/optical relationship where microlenses in three-dimensional space focus light onto small cells. This dimensional transformation allows large capture areas to be coupled with small conversion areas through optical focusing.
3Ease of manufacture
If organic solar cells are used, then large area and low cost are achieved, but efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by using high-efficiency solar cells only at the focal points where light concentration occurs, rather than uniformly across the entire area. This allows the critical conversion zones to have superior efficiency while the overall system remains低成本 and scalable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves high efficiency, low production costs, and large-area solar cell arrays with increased energy conversion efficiency by concentrating light onto small solar cells using microlenses and flexible polymer materials, addressing the limitations of conventional solar cells.
Implementation Method 1
a plate on which a plurality of lenses are arranged on one surface; and a plurality of solar cells receiving light concentrated by the plurality of lenses
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a solar cell apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, a high efficiency, inexpensive and large-area solar cell apparatus using a microlens, and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The solar cell apparatus includes a plate on which a plurality of lenses are arranged on one surface, and a plurality of solar cells receiving light concentrated by the lenses.