The Use of Solar Cells Based on pCdTe – nCdS and pCdTe – nCdSe Heterostructures and Their Application in Renewable Energy Sources

The paper considers a photovoltaic module of a solar cell, which is the first to be used in renewable energy sources, based on p-CdTe–n-CdS and p-CdTe–n-CdSe heterostructures, which have high-energy characteristics. It is shown that under illumination such elements generate a voltage of 200–300 V (approximately 0.4–0.8 V under load) and currents of the order of 10–11 A, the values of which depend on the surface area and light intensity. It has been established that the presence of deep impurity levels in CdTe films enhances photoconductivity and output signals due to the additional excitation of charge carriers. Various schemes of serial and parallel connections of heterostructure solar cells are considered, enabling the adjustment of voltage and current. Special attention is paid to the problem of reverse bias and its solution using shunt diodes or modern solar battery controllers. The proposed module is used in renewable energy sources and also provides prospects for its long-term use at any time of the year.