Proceedings of Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MAT-SUS) (NFM22)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.nfm.2022.193
Publication date: 11th July 2022
Achieving deep impacts on greenhouse gas emissions and efficient energy use through use of renewable technologies such as photovoltaics will require the thoughtful integration of the solar module into a final application. The overall efficiency of solar energy utilisation can be improved if the module is integrated with another function, such as photochemical energy conversion, solar thermal conversion, plant growth or energy storage. Organic photovoltaic technology brings potential advantages to some applications where spectral sharing or flexible form factor are needed. In other cases, the choice of PV technology may be much less important than other components or overall system design. Optimising the integrated system requires understanding of the optical and electrical response of the solar module in different conditions, control of those properties and suitable models of the whole system performance. We will present examples of the integration of PV with other functions, including photochemical energy conversion, and consider how system design and operation influence overall performance.