Doped tin oxide coated aluminium solar selective reflector surfaces

• Published in: Solar energy Vol. 68; no. 4; pp. 371 - 378
• Main Authors: Mwamburi, Mghendi, Wäckelgård, Ewa
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 2000; Elsevier; Pergamon Press Inc
• Subjects: Aluminum; Applied sciences; Doping (additives); Energy; Equipments, installations and applications; Exact sciences and technology; Fluorine; Materials science; Natural energy; Photovoltaic conversion; Solar absorbers; Solar energy; Tin; Tin compounds; Silicon solar cells; Solar reflectors; Solar energy concentrator; Tin oxide; Photovoltaic array; Concentrator solar cells; Aluminium; Selective surface; Experimental study; Reflectance; OPTICAL-PROPERTIES; FILMS
• ISSN: 0038-092X; 1471-1257
• DOI: 10.1016/S0038-092X(00)00030-X

An experimental study of spectrally selective reflector (SSR) characteristics of pyrolytically deposited fluorine doped tin oxide on aluminium is reported. It is shown that a pyrolytically deposited doped tin oxide layer offers good spectral selectivity to the aluminium surface. High solar reflectance is obtained for wavelengths below 1.1 μm and low solar reflectance for wavelengths above 1.1 μm. The spectral selectivity is highly dependent on the preparation conditions, doping and thickness of the films and spectral selectivity was significantly improved if the aluminium surface was initially anodized. The results demonstrate a potential for producing SSR’s for silicon based solar cell concentrator applications.