Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands

Societal Impact Statement Solar parks enable renewable energy production at a large scale, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the effects of this change in land use on vegetation and soil health are still largely unknown. In this study, we determined the impacts of solar parks on vegetation, soil biota and soil carbon between and below solar panels. We found lower plant and microbial biomass below the panels, while no differences in soil carbon pools were observed. The results stress the urgent need to design future solar parks that prevent soil degradation while still producing the renewable energy needed to combat climate change. Summary Solar parks, large‐scale arrays of photovoltaic panels, are a unique land use and play an important role in the renewable energy transition. However, the solar panels create shade and change the microclimate, potentially affecting plant growth and carbon inputs to the soil. These changes can influence key soil properties critical to long‐term carbon storage and overall soil health. This study investigated the impact of commercial solar parks on plant productivity and the colonisation of roots by mycorrhizal fungi, soil organic matter (SOM), soil microbial community biomass and composition and litter decomposition in 17 solar parks with contrasting shading levels across the Netherlands. Soil samples and plant biomass samples were collected between and below the solar panels. The microclimate (temperature, moisture) was measured continuously over the growing season and cumulative solar irradiation during the growing season in relation to the solar panels was modelled. Results show that above‐ and below‐ground plant biomass as well as mycorrhizal colonisation were significantly lower below than between panels, while we did not find differences for SOM, carbon stocks and hot water extractable carbon. Plant productivity related negatively to the extent of light interception by the panels. Furthermore, fungal and bacterial biomass and the F:B ratio were lower below compared to between the panels while decomposition rates did not differ. The severe decrease of plant biomass inputs in combination with maintained rates of decomposition are expected to result in decreased SOM stocks and soil health over time and suggest the need for guidelines for ecologically sound solar park designs to prevent soil damage.

Silicon-Inspired Analysis of Interfacial Recombination in Perovskite PhotovoltaicsSarah Gillespie a, b, Jerome Gautier a, Julia van der Burgt a, John Anker b, Bart Geerligs b, Gianluca Coletti b, c, Erik Garnett a, da AMOLF Institute, Science Park 104, Amsterdam, 1098XG The Netherlandsb TNO Energy Transition, Westerduinweg 3, Petten, 1755LE Netherlandsc School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australiad Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, 1098XH The NetherlandsInternational Conference on Hybrid and Organic PhotovoltaicsProceedings of International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV24)València, Spain, 2024 May 12th - 15thOrganizer: Bruno EhrlerOral, Sarah Gillespie, presentation 073DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.hopv.2024.073Publication date: 6th February 2024The performance of both single junction (SJ) perovskite solar cells and perovskite-silicon tandem cells have tremendously improved in recent years; respective certified efficiencies currently stand at 26.1% and 33.7%[1]. However, a considerable fraction of the remaining photovoltaic losses is attributed to carrier recombination at the perovskite interface. To mitigate such losses, interfacial extraction layers must be reviewed to determine whether substitutions or additional (mono)layers are required to further improve the photovoltage of the device. Addressing this requirement, this work presents a facile framework elucidating how time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy (TRPL) measurements can be utilised to locate points of recombination in perovskite solar cells. Drawing inspiration from well-established silicon PV analytical methods, we show how TRPL analysis can be extended to determine the bulk and surface lifetimes, surface recombination velocity (SRV), the recombination parameter, J0, and the implied open-circuit voltage (iVoc) of any perovskite device configuration[2,3]. Following this framework, we experimentally compare the extent of perovskite passivation on 18 contacts that are of interest in perovskite photovoltaics, discussing differences in electron transport layer (ETL) and hole transport layer (HTL) materials, their deposition methods and position in the stack. Furthermore, the iVoc calculated from the TRPL-based framework are directly compared to the determined iVoc from photoluminescence quantum yields, noting the benefits and caveats in both techniques. Finally, the hypothetical iVoc from full cell stacks based on the summation of the contact SRVs are compared to true solar cell Voc. We emphasise that this novel and simple technique serves as a practical guide for screening and selecting multifunctional, passivating perovskite contact layers in next generation SJ and tandem solar cells. Just as with more established silicon solar cells, most of the material and interface analysis can be done without making full devices or measuring power conversion efficiency. These purely optical measurements are actually preferable when studying the quality of bulk and interfacial passivation approaches, since they remove complicating effects from poor carrier extraction. References:[1] Green, M.A.; Dunlop, E.D.; Yoshita, M.' et al. Solar cell efficiency tables (Version 63). Prog Photovolt Res Appl. 2024, 32(1): 3-13.[2] Krückemeier, L; Krogmeier, B; Liu, Z; Rau, U; Kirchartz, T.; Understanding Transient Photoluminescence in Halide Perovskite Layer Stacks and Solar Cells. Adv. Energy Mater. 2021, 11, 2003489.[3] Cuevas, A.; Macdonald, D.; Measuring and interpreting the lifetime of silicon wafers. Solar Energy. 2004, 76, 255-262.© FUNDACIO DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA SCITOnanoGe is a prestigious brand of successful science conferences that are developed along the year in different areas of the world since 2009. Our worldwide conferences cover cutting-edge materials topics like perovskite solar cells, photovoltaics, optoelectronics, solar fuel conversion, surface science, catalysis and two-dimensional materials, among many others.MATSUSPreviously nanoGe Spring Meeting (NSM) and nanoGe Fall Meeting (NFM), MATSUS is a multiple symposia conference focused on a broad set of topics of advanced materials preparation, their fundamental properties, and their applications, in fields such as renewable energy, photovoltaics, lighting, semiconductor quantum dots, 2-D materials synthesis, charge carriers dynamics, microscopy and spectroscopy semiconductors fundamentals, etc.International Conference on Hybrid and Organic PhotovoltaicsInternational Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV) is celebrated yearly in May. The main topics are the development, function and modeling of materials and devices for hybrid and organic solar cells. The field is now dominated by perovskite solar cells but also other hybrid technologies, as organic solar cells, quantum dot solar cells, and dye-sensitized solar cells and their integration into devices for photoelectrochemical solar fuel production.Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite, Organic Photovoltaics and OptoelectronicsThe main topics of the Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite, Organic Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics (IPEROP) are discussed every year in Asia-Pacific for gathering the recent advances in the fields of material preparation, modeling and fabrication of perovskite and hybrid and organic materials. Photovoltaic devices are analyzed from fundamental physics and materials properties to a broad set of applications. The conference also covers the developments of perovskite optoelectronics, including light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical devices, nanophotonics, nonlinear optical properties, colloidal nanostructures, photophysics and light-matter coupling.International Conference on Perovskite Thin Film Photovoltaics Perovskite Photonics and OptoelectronicsThe International Conference on Perovskite Thin Film Photovoltaics Perovskite Photonics and Optoelectronics (NIPHO) is the best place to hear the latest developments in perovskite solar cells as well as on recent advances in the fields of perovskite light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical devices, nanophotonics, nonlinear optical properties, colloidal nanostructures, photophysics and light-matter coupling.

Electrification of the ethylene production process has potential for reducing hard-to-abate CO2 emissions, however, this comes at the expense of increased electricity consumption. Flexible operation of electric naphtha crackers in response to fluctuating electricity prices can compensate for the increased operating costs, depending on the boundary conditions. However, given the level of technological complexity, it remains uncertain to what extend flexible operation of the ethylene production process is feasible. In this work we use mathematical optimization to investigate the added value of various levels of flexible operation of the process in a low-CO2 energy system. We find that (i) highly variable electricity prices promote flexible operation and (ii) providing flexibility in low-CO2 energy systems by ramping the production or using electricity storage is essential.