Photovoltaics Research and Development (PVRD) FOA 2024
Funding Agency:
- Department of Energy
This FOA aims to support III-V PV technology development through R&D projects that enable a radical reduction in the cost of III-V PV technology. Areas of specific interest include technological development enabling multiple (> 20) reuses of the same crystal growth substrate with high cell yield and minimal substrate preparation, low-cost and rapid-throughput growth techniques, and low-cost deposition of metal contacts.21 Another area of interest is in cell-to-module design, with low-cost module integration that is amenable to high-volume manufacturing (HVM) and handling of III-V wafers that are < 10 microns in thickness, which is approximately 1/100 the thickness of conventional silicon wafers.
OPV cells use layers of semiconducting organic materials. Two materials with complementary electric properties, called the donor and acceptor, are typically used together in OPVs. Continuing improvements in organic materials discovery have empowered steady progress in OPV technology over the last two decades, with certified cell records over 19% PCE22 accompanied with significant advances in durability. While these efficiency values are still below c-Si PV, OPV has some unique advantages that could enable its deployment, given further improvements to module performance and durability.23
Unlike conventional semiconductors, OPV cells can be designed to absorb only in specific regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing for unique applications. Namely, OPV cells can be tailored to selectively absorb near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet (UV) light, enabling photovoltaic windows that can still let visible light pass through to achieve optimized aesthetic effects or agricultural outcomes in greenhouses. Alternatively, OPV multijunction cells using both narrow- and wide-band organic absorbers can be tailored to selectively absorb specific regions of the electromagnetic spectrum in next-generation tandem and multijunction PV architectures. While this feature of organic absorbers has historically been used to fabricate all-OPV tandems, this could also be used to fabricate hybrid tandems with combinations of OPV and c-Si or other thin-film PV devices.
Award Ceiling: $4,000,000
$20,000,000
Submission Deadline for Concept Papers: 07/01/2024 5 p.m. ET
09/16/2024 5 p.m. ET
Traci A. Perry 240-562-1582
traci.perry@ee.doe.gov