Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. / Committee Chair: Perry, Joseph; Committee Member: Bunz, Uwe; Committee Member: Lyon, Andrew; Committee Member: Marder, Seth; Committee Member: Trebino, Rick. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2010. / Title from title screen (site viewed June 22, 2010). PDF text: ca. 150 p. : ill. UMI publication number: AAT 3397631. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1989. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 278-282).

Prepared for the United States, Department of Energy, under contract no. EX-76-A-01-2295, task order 37, by Energy Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

No description available.

No description available.

Energy is of concern for governments and economies all over the world. As conventional methods of energy production are facing the prospect of depleting fossil fuel reserves, economies are facing energy risks. With this tension, various threats arise in terms of energy supply security. A shift from intensive fossil fuel consumption to alternative energy consumption combined with the calculated use of fossil fuels needs to be implemented. Using the energy radiated from the sun and converted to electricity through photovoltaic energy conversion is one of the alternative and renewable sources to address the limited fossil fuel dilemma. South Africa receives an abundance of sunlight irradiance, but limited knowledge of the implementation and possible energy yield of photovoltaic energy production in South Africa is available. Photovoltaic energy yield knowledge is vital in applications for farms, rural areas and remote transmitting devices where the construction of electricity grids are not cost effective. In this study various meteorological and energy parameters about photovoltaics were captured in Port Elizabeth (South Africa) and analyzed, with data being recorded every few seconds. A model for mean daily photovoltaic power output was developed and the relationships between the independent variables analyzed. A model was developed that can forecast mean daily photovoltaic power output using only temperature derived variables and time. The mean daily photovoltaic power model can then easily be used to forecast daily photovoltaic energy output using the number of sunlight seconds in a given day.

Two basic types of photovoltaic (PV) array simulator have been designed and tested. The first involves the use of a pilot panel and variable light source. It is implemented with analogue circuits. A stability analysis based on Popov's method is presented for this simulator with resistance-inductance (R-L) loads. In the second, characteristic array curves are stored in the memory of a microprocessor-based simulator. The design of both simulators is based on the transfer function method. By using the computing facility available, a stability study for the Type I simulator and some dynamic simulations are carried out. Both simulators are capable of driving a special load, namely, an experimental solar pumping system. The experimental results for both types of' simulator are satisfactory in terms of steady state precision and dynamic behaviour when used with this load. Compared with previously-reported PV array simulator designs [6,7,8,9,18], the two simulators described here have the following distinctive features: 1. A new method of sample curve generation for the Type II simulator results in relatively short sampling period and small memory size. 2. The sample curves of the type II simulator are based directly on the real PV array to be simulated. They are more accurate than the sample curves in references [6,7,9]. 3. Different loads (R, R-L and an experimental solar pumping system) have been considered in the design and have been tested in laboratory. 4. A stability analysis and some dynamic simulations are presented for the type I simulator. An analysis of this type has not been reported in previous studies [6,7,8,9,18]. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Solar energy has come to the forefront as a scalable and largely underutilized renewable energy resource. The current cost of solar electricity, namely from photovoltaics, along with other logistics factors, has prevented the widespread adaptation of the technology. A key determinant of efficiency and cost for a solar cell is the current collector grid. This work presents the Collimated Aerosol Beam Direct Write (CAB-DW) system as a non-contact printing method that can achieve current collector grid finger widths of less than 10 μm which are amenable to decreasing both resistive and optical losses. The ability to produce high aspect ratio grid fingers, and deposit optimized grid structures on high efficiency SHJ solar cells using silver nanoparticle inks is also demonstrated. A decrease in shadowing and via profile modification of the grid fingers is presented, along with a study of aging and degradation of electrical properties within silver nanoparticle inks.