ICTP - Innovative Characterization Techniques for Photovoltaics

This special issue is devoted to the integrated study of photovoltaics and will be published to give researchers appreciation of where the discipline has come from. We aim to provide an advanced forum for studies related to the proposed fields with all topics below. The objective of this special issue is to present recent advances and emerging cross-disciplinary in the field of photovoltaics engineering. The impact of new emerging markets in c-Si photovoltaic production (PV) has pulled down its price in the last decade, giving little space to new generation PV: the range of efficiency-cost that was before expected to be covered by amorphous silicon multi-junction PV and I-III-V and II-VI group alloys (e.g. CIGS, CIS, CdTe), was later on occupied by a kind of new first-generation PV, with worthless improvements from the new generation side. This fact represented a challenge even for the so-called third-generation PV, the very high-efficiency III-V compound devices (e.g. InGaP/InGaAs/Ge) for concentrating PV applications: at cell efficiencies below 40% CPV is still hardly competitive with new generation c-Si flat panel modules, with efficiencies above 20% at one sun. Failure analysis is also growing in importance and in parallel both with new product development and with old power plant monitoring. Within this competitive landscape, all research centers involved in the research, development, production, and monitoring of PV products need independent verification and high-quality accredited measurements in the development process. There are new challenges on the indoor and outdoor electrical, thermal, optical and mechanical characterization of PV cells and modules. Some challenges arise from the application of standard procedures to products having technical aspects (e.g. geometries, optical, electrical or thermal characteristics) that were not taken into account when standard procedures were developed and to which standard procedures need to be adapted. Other challenges arise from the need for new standards for new characterization methods.

The special issue will thus focus on both the aspects above, asking researchers among the world's best experts in the fields to describe the new characterization challenges and to discuss these new challenges. Among various characterization techniques that will be discussed: electrical characterization of single and multi-junction flat-panel PV module; spectral characterization and thermal characterization; characterization of bi-facial modules and of novel architectures; photoluminescence and innovative imaging techniques; performance dependence on total irradiance and of the angle of incidence; PV modeling.

This issue will publish reviews and research articles. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. Full experimental and methodological details, as applicable, must be provided. The American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences is an open access peer a reviewed technical journal which publishes original research contributions and is an unparalleled resource for key advances in the field of engineering. Scope of the journal includes but not limited to applied physics and applied mathematics, automation and control, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, data engineering, and software engineering, earth, and environmental engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, and operations research, information technology and informatics, materials science, measurement and metrology, mechanical engineering, medical physics, power engineering, signal processing and telecommunications.

Manuscripts regarding original research proposals and research ideas would be highly appreciated. Manuscripts containing summaries and surveys on research cooperation and actual and future projects (as those founded by national governments or others) are likewise appreciated, as they provide interesting information for a broad field of users.

All accepted papers of this special issue will be published free of charge.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

1. Solar Cells
2. Photovoltaic Systems
3. Photovoltaics Development, Efficiency, and Growth
4. Environmental Impact of Photovoltaic Technologies
5. Photovoltaics Manufacturing
6. Photovoltaics Applications
7. Photovoltaics Advantages
8. Production and Monitoring of PV
9. Solar Farms