Projects
For more information on the following projects, check back for up-to-date progress, or on the open source appropriate technology site here.
Current Projects
Solar Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Cells
Photovoltaic Thermal Hybrids
PV Manufacturing
- Green Manufacturing of Solar Photovoltaics
- Environmentally responsible manufacturing and industrial symbiosis
PV Systems
- Snow Cover and Hydrophobic Thin Film Coatings for Canadian Solar Photovoltaic Applications
- Photovoltaic system design
Policy
- Government photovoltaic manufacturing in Canada
- Banking for solar
- Banking for solar - P2P
- Solar map of renewable energy region
Applied Sustainability
- Desalination
- Green IT/S
- Applied Sustainability in Northern Communities
- Open-source appropriate technologies (OSAT)
Photovoltaic Materials Engineering and Photovoltaic Device Physics
Amorphous Silicon Materials and Phtovoltaics
Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) based solar cells are less expensive than traditional crystalline silicon based solar cells and posses an excellent ecological balance sheet. The ecological and economic promise of a-Si:H solar cells is currently incomplete because of the light induced degradation of its electronic properties known as the Staebler-Wronski Effect (SWE). Numerous theories have been proposed to explain SWE, with the most prominent based on the mechanism of weak bond breakage forming dangling bonds (D0). Unfortunately, models based solely on D0 are over-simplifications and the application of these models has limited usefulness in improving solar cell performance.
Dr. Pearce's previous research thus focused on the analysis of experimental evidence for a complex SWE mechanism.
From this work the contributions of non-D0 defects to the SWE kinetics were identified and quantified for the first time by using a combination of electron mobility-lifetime and subgap absorption on films, and dark and light I-V characteristics on corresponding solar cells. This was accomplished by overcoming the often-observed discrepancies in the correlations of properties between materials and devices. Utilizing this insight into the material properties allows for the optimization of photovoltaic devices and a more thorough understanding of their operation. This material research can be applied to solar cells by the microstructural engineering of individual layers of solar cells to characterize the carrier recombination within the device. This work resulted in the separation, identification, and quantification of contributions of the carrier recombination from the p/i interface regions and the bulk to the dark current-voltage and short-circuit current-open circuit voltage characteristics of protocrystalline Si p-i-n and n-i-p solar cells. This has immediate practical application in the optimization of commercial photovoltaic products. See numerous publications here.
Indium Gallium Nitride for Photovoltaics
The unrestrained use of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal has contributed to global warming at a rate that seriously threatens the future of the world’s climate systems. Solar energy converted by photovoltaics is an ideal solution as an emission-free, infinitely renewable energy. However, due to low efficiencies, the cost of electricity from current commercially available solar cells is five times greater than electricity from conventional sources. This research intends to help eliminate that cost difference by developing an ultra-high efficiency InGaN solar cell. The primary reason InGaN shows such incredible promise as a photovoltaic material is the ability to modify its band gap by adjusting the ratio of indium and gallium in the film. A multi-layered cell of InGaN can be made with band gaps ranging from 0.7eV (InN) to 3.4eV (GaN) which covers the entire range of the solar spectrum. Thus, a well-designed InGaN solar cell can absorb and convert a much higher fraction of the sun’s light energy into electricity. The first stage of research will focus on the characterization and understanding of InGaN as a semiconducting material. The final stage of research will use the accumulated data and knowledge to determine the number of stacked layers and the relative concentrations of indium and gallium within each that maximizes light absorption and, more importantly, electricity generation.
Hybrid Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal Devices (PVT)
A photovoltaic thermal (PVT) solar collector is a photovoltaic system that is also a solar thermal collector. Any solar energy not converted to electricity in the PV is converted to heat to be used by the thermal components. This project is in collaboration with Queen's University Solar Calorimetry Laboratory. Our part in this effort is first developing and characterizing optically selective coatings. The coating will be for the absorber and must be able to absorb as much of the solar spectrum as possible while emitting as little energy as possible back to the environment. The second part of this project would be further developing this coating to turn it into a moderately efficient photovoltaic material.
Amorphous Silicon PV/T
There are several different PV materials that can be used in a PV/T system; crystalline, poly-crystalline and amorphous silicon. However, when PV panels get hot, their efficiency decreases by about 0.5% per degree centigrade. Amorphous silicon’s efficiency decreases the least, which makes it a very interesting choice for a PV/T system. One of the biggest problems with a PV/T system is the PV panels like to operate at low temperatures (20degC) where as the solar thermal collector works best when it’s hot. Furthermore, most PV/T systems are tested and designed for Standard Testing Conditions (STC) which is not its real operating conditions.
The goal of this research thesis is to optimize amorphous PV cells at high temperatures for integration into a PV/T systems.
InGaN PV/T
This project involves looking at indium gallium nitride (InGaN) and measuring its absorption, emissivity, reflectance and efficiency under different temperatures. This is to determine whether InGaN could be a potential candidate for a photovoltaic solar thermal system (PV/T). PV/Ts produce both electricity and heat which allows for a higher efficiency solar energy collector system. The exciting property of InGaN is that by changing the composition, one can change the range of wavelengths of light that can be captured. This would then allow a certain range of light to be converted into electricity and then the rest could be collected and turned into heat. This project will help determine whether InGaN could be a possible light collector in a PV/T system.
Green Manufacturing of Solar Photovoltaics
In the midst of global climate change, renewable energy has become a favored area of research and development across the world. One technology that continues to attract interest in Canada is Photovoltaics (PV). As the potential economic and environmental benefits of PV are recognized, there will be greater pressure to build more PV manufacturing facilities. Moreover, recent studies have proven that it would be in the government’s best interest to subsidize the upfront cost of building PV manufacturing facilities given the short and long-term payback of the plants.
This research project will focus on developing a policy framework for government- subsidized PV manufacturing plants in Ontario. A number of standards will be discussed within the policy framework, ranging from limitations to the materials used in the manufacturing process to potential take-back and recycling programs for the PV panels.
Snow Cover and Hydrophobic Thin Film Coatings for Canadian Solar Photovoltaic Applications
Photovoltaic solar cell systems represent one of the most promising means of maintaining our energy intensive standards of 
living. With Canada, and Ontario in particular, concentrating a much larger focus on photovoltaic development, there is a keen interest and concern in the effects of snow cover on solar energy yield. From small scale residential to large multi-MW ventures, developers are interested in the effect of snow on the performance of different types of panels and on the optimization of racking angles. This research project will assist this optimization. Much research has focused on the synthesis and preparation of super-hydrophobic surfaces, however investigation into the competing properties of transparency and hydrophobicity has yet to be conducted. This study will develop a hydrophobic thin film coating which deters snow from collecting on solar cells at low angles while maximizing the transmission of light into the cells. These requirements will be investigated by coating, mixing or polymerizing low surface energy materials such as fluoroalkylsilanes, organic polymers, and paraffin waxes. Surface roughness is necessary for hydrophobicity, but it induces scattering of light, so to satisfy both hydrophobicity and light transmission, control of surface roughness will required. These films will be tested in real world conditions on the Nicol Hall roof following preliminary laboratory vetting.
See information on the snow study here.
Photovoltaic System Design
The focus of this project will be to develop a methodology for designing photovoltaic systems in the unique environmental, financial and political environment of Ontario. This project will include modelling techniques, pilot testing programs, and systems design. A focus will be maintained on developing innovative mechanical structures and maintenance methods to address issues specific to operations in the region.
Environmentally responsible manufacturing and industrial symbiosis
The main objective of this project is to identify and promote the potential for by-product exchanges, or industrial symbiosis, in the Ontario region. A by-product exchange is a waste reduction technique which encourages companies to think of traditional waste materials as potential economically valuable products. By using the traditional waste streams of a partner company as inputs, a company can increase their environmental performance while saving money and in some cases improving the quality of their product.
Government Photovoltaic Manufacturing in Canada
The aim of this project was to demonstrate that government investment in PV manufacturing will provide revenue gains (return on investment), apart from the other advantages for Canada.Governments play a role in renewable energy development as they do in other industries. This project aims to demonstrate the potential revenue that government could generate through the economic activity created by investing in a 1 GW PV manufacturing plant. Different levels of investment were considered and the rate of return will be compared to the discount rate as required by the government under study.
To see the results of this project go here.
Banking for Solar
Aim: To provide a package for banks in Kingston to implement a “PV Loan” for people based on the strength of the contract with the government/ Ontario Power Authority (Feed-In-Tariff).
Photovoltaic (PV) technology can generate a rate of return on investment comparable to individual investment options. With the prospect of renewable energy policies and subsidies (e.g. Green Energy Act in Ontario), there will be increased demand for panels and the associated financing. Banks will need to be able to provide loans for PV investment based on the contract being made with the government and the viability of the PV project itself. Of great importance is allowing even those with little collateral to be able to afford investing in PV panels. This project will address the barriers of providing such a “PV Loan” and the methodology behind providing a loan given the current technology and a financial analysis of a residential system under the feed-in tariff. Possible extensions exist for banks and credit unions to expand the “PV loan” to the province.
Banking for Solar – P2P Financing
Aim: Demonstrate how using peer to peer lending mechanisms can provide the finance to accelerate renewable energy deployment globally.
Based on the feedback from banks in Kingston to implement a “PV Loan” under the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) and from other studies, it is apparent that traditional financial institutions are unable to either separate the “PV Loan” from the individual’s collateral or provide favourable loan terms. Only a few banks in the world provide the required type of loan to make the investment viable for the homeowner, but these are backed by the local governments. Modified peer-to-peer mechanisms are proposed to finance PV systems and other renewable energy technologies around the world where there is a FIT program at required loan terms. The program is restricted to countries with FITs because of the high rate of return possible to allow for the type of investment. Utilizing peer-to-peer lending mechanisms enables the public to invest in public renewable energy technologies both locally and globally.
Regional Photovoltaic Analysis
This project focuses on the use of open source GIS software to compute insolation and photovoltaic yield for regional analysis. To start as part of a collaboration with QIEEP, the area of study encompasses counties in Southeastern Ontario. A complete algorithm, which can be generalized to any region in the world is being developed to cover the steps of data acquisition and preprocessing to solar farm siting.
Renewable Power for Desalination
Vietnam’s National Rural Clean Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy has aimed at having 85% of rural population use clean water at 60 liters per capita per year by 2010. Now in the late 2009, in light of the upcoming Copenhagen meeting to discuss climate change combat, recent weather events in Vietnam and insufficient funding for the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) program it is time to determine if the goal has been achieved. Using a Geographical Information System platform, wind resources atlas developed by the Asia Sustainable and Alternative Energy (ASTAE) and simulated solar energy the project investigates the potential of renewable powered desalination units, which draw in the local abundant wind, solar and agrofuels resources to benefit rural communities in the Low Elevation Coastal Zone (LECZ) of the Mekong delta.
Green Information Technology and Systems
There has been a growing awareness in Canada of the necessity to reverse the omnipresent processes of environmental degradation and to move toward sustainable practices. In spite of the burgeoning list of ecological problems caused by energy use with the largest and most severe global climate destabilization via the burning of fossil fuels, many people, including the leaders of our most powerful organizations often think of environmental problems as detached from their everyday lives and personal behavior patterns. As we all leverage our productivity up with an ever increasing rate of information technology and system (IT/S) use, we often invisibly become a larger part of the problem. The use of IT/S is exploding, with it growing two times faster than the Gross World Product. This same IT/S consumes enormous and growing fractions of an organizations’ energy costs, which result in massive increases in the concomitant greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. For example, IT/S is responsible for more than a quarter of the energy consumption in office buildings and in data centers about 95%. In most cases more than half of this energy is wasted by inefficient technologies, careless behavior, or poorly designed systems. Engineers have recognized this problem for some time and have developed technical solutions that have matured to the point at which they can applied by even undergraduate student engineers. Unfortunately, as witnessed by the burgeoning grotesque energy waste and inefficiency of IT/S the engineers have largely failed to move organizations to applied sustainability. This project will overcome this failure and both develop and apply a model to improve the ecological footprint of IT/S and move Canadian organizations towards sustainability. Our multi-disciplinary research team will first establish what IT/S actions can organizations take to significantly reduce their environmental impacts and then determine what types of interventions in organizations will best affect these changes. To do so, we will take a multi-pronged 3-stage ‘action research’ approach to work with organizations to significantly improve their environmental sustainability and implement “Green IT”.
In the first stage, conducted in year 1, we will learn more about IT/S initiatives in organizations. In this study, led by the social science researchers from the Queen's School of Business, we will first conduct interviews with IT industry and management representatives to determine needs, attitudes, and road blocks to applied sustainability within their organization. In the second stage, which will start during year 1 and continue through years 2 and 3, we will perform IT/S audits of organizations to highlight those areas that would most benefit from changes and to suggest specific IT/S initiatives to improve environmental sustainability. These initiatives will range from more incremental techniques (e.g, replacing laptops with more energy-efficient models) to more innovative (e.g., using solar photovoltaic electricity to power data centres or coupling data centres to co-generation facilities with absorption chillers). This stage will be led by engineering researchers in the Applied Sustainability Research Group with experience in managing such projects and conducted using a service learning model by teams of undergraduate engineering students. After completing the audit for an individual organization (2), the next stage is the most difficult and important. In this stage action research, again led by social science researchers will collaborate with management and employees at the targeted organizations to implement green IT/S to improve their environmental performance. Some of these changes of a technical nature will be implemented at the organizational level (such as replacing servers with more energy-efficient models), and we will motivate these changes for management using modeling and cost-benefit approaches. Many other changes will be behavioral in nature and only work with employee buy-in and participation (such as professionals replacing travel with the use of collaboration technologies). For these employee initiatives, we will motivate their actions through the use of techniques from environmental psychology (such as commitment) and IS (e.g., software design). Our primary objective is to work with organizations to determine the most pragmatic methods for implementing green IT/S practices to rapidly transition organizations towards sustainability.
Applied Sustainability in the North
Presently, the remote communities in Nunavut are dependent on diesel for their energy needs. Diesel is by far the most consumed fuel source, and most often used to produce electricity. Unfortunately, there are a number of environmental, social, health and economical problems associated with diesel use. It is an emission-intensive and polluting energy source, causing detrimental health and environmental impacts. Additionally, diesel use causes economic stress on communities for several reasons including the high cost of transportation and the fact that two-thirds of the energy from the fuel is lost as heat or exhaust, instead of being transformed directly into electricity.
Because of the detrimental impacts of diesel use in remote Nunavut communities, it is important to find alternative electricity sources. Key alternative energy sources would naturally include solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power and biomass power. However, the appropriate use of any one of these technologies will depend on the unique circumstances of the community, including the location of the remote community and energy sources available to it. This project aims to develop policies in order to minimize the use of diesel fuel in northern communities.
In addition, this project will focus on creating new ways in which First Nation communities in Canada can become more sustainable and self-sufficient. We are looking for First Nation communities that already have a proven commitment to environmental sustainability and are interested in partnering with Queen's Applied Science to work on specific projects related to appropriate technology to move their community towards a sustainable state, while sharing their intellectual resources with the open source appropriate technology community. Appropriate technologies must meet environmental, cultural, economic, and educational resource constraints of the localized community. Being that many of the First Nations communities are both geographically isolated and already have a true cohesive community they have an advantage in developing a localized self-sufficient environmentally-sustainable economy, which can then be used as a model for all communities in Canada. This project is being used as a pilot program for the Queen's Applied Sustainability Masters program, which will have an internship component where graduate students will work on developing appropriate technologies for host communities.
This project will develop the service learning mechanism, test it, and lay out a technical design path appropriate for First Nations communities to reach a sustainable state.
Open Source Appropriate Technology
Open source appropriate technology (OSAT) refers to technologies that provide for sustainable development while being designed in the same fashion as free and open-source software. Facilitated by advances in information technology software and hardware, new ways to disseminate information such as wikis and Internet-enabled mobile phones, the global development of OSAT has emerged as a reality. This research investigates how the sharing of design processes, appropriate tools, and technical information enables more effective and rapid development of appropriate technologies for both industrialized and non-industrialized regions. This sharing will require the appropriate technology community to adopt open standards/licenses, document knowledge, and build on previous work. The group's work offers solutions in the form of both business models and tools to overcome technical constraints of OSAT development in the forms of the platforms necessary on which to share and build knowledge about appropriate technologies. These solutions are open, easily accessible for those in need, have a low barrier to entry for both users and information creators, and must be vetted in order to utilized as a trustworthy source on critical information needs.
For the groups open source repository see: http://www.appropedia.org/Category:Queens_Applied_Sustainability_Group