Executive Summary : | The utilization of solar energy faces challenges due to high harnessing cost and capital investment. To make solar energy cheaper, efficiency can be increased by reducing the cost per unit energy. One way to overcome this is by converting the near UV and blue region of the solar spectrum to the IR/NIR region using luminescence. This concept of modification of solar spectrum aims to find phosphors that can be excited by solar radiations over a broad spectral region of 350-500 nm and emit at desired longer wavelengths. Phosphors will be designed for c-Si, CIGS, CdS/CdTe, and PSC/DSSC solar cells. These phosphors will be prepared in nano form using ball milling or novel wet chemical methods. Phase formation, particle size distribution, morphology, luminescence properties, down conversion, spin coating, and CVD will be studied. The first year will involve characterization of c-Si cells coated with suitable luminescent layers, focusing on the effect of luminescent coatings on parameters like open circuit voltage, short circuit current, fill factor, external quantum efficiency, and spectral response curve. The second year will extend to CdS-CdTe and CIGS, and similar studies for PSC solar cells will be completed in the third year. Results will be published in SCI Journals, and patents will be filed for results of commercial significance. |