Missions

To facilitate the best possible technological solutions for the implementation of agrivoltaics, i.e. the combined land use for agricultural use and electricity generation,1,2 we need to design highly efficient photovoltaic (PV) modules that are adapted to deployment in an agricultural environment. This means that we need to precisely control physical properties such as light reflectivity and transmissivity, facilitate an ease of installation such as with light-weight thin-film-based solar cell modules as well as their reliability and circle of life assessment. In the existing reliability approaches in photovoltaics (PV), the effects of the chemistry of the environmental factors, which can result from climate, atmospheric pollution, leaching from the cell materials or degradation of the encapsulating material, are usually disregarded. The degradation mechanisms could however be strongly affected by the environment, in particular for the applications in an agricultural environment, where the installations are in contact with numerous fertilizers, herbicides, biological species, etc. and be subject to high levels of humidity. This is particularly important for thin film PV which could offer mobile, flexible, and semi-transparent solutions, but also important for the metallic parts (cables, frame, etc.). While commercial Si-based PV modules already found a first entry into the field of agrivoltaics, dedicated analysis of the compatibility of thin-film absorber materials such as halide perovskites and CIGS with and their corresponding device stacks is just starting to emerge.3,4 Those multinary compound semiconductors comprise of potentially toxic elements and exhibit inherent interfacial stability issues,5,6 which thus requires an assessment of possible chemical reactivity before these technologies can be implemented in an agricultural environment. To achieve this goal, our research activities are at the interface between materials science, physical chemistry, and condensed matter physics. At the same time, corrosion science allows to evaluate the stability of metal, but also multiple semi-conducting and insulating oxides, corrosion products, and polymers used in the device stack. Combining the expertise from corrosion science and photovoltaic material science will open a new perspective on the applicability of new PV systems in agrivoltaics.

(1) Dinesh, H.; Pearce, J. M. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2016, 54, 299–308.
(2) Barron-Gafford, G.A. et al. Agrivoltaics Provide Mutual Benefits across the Food–Energy–Water Nexus in Drylands. Nat Sustain 2019, 2 (9), 848–855.
(3) Debono, A.; L'Hostis, H.; Rebai, A.; Mysliu, E.; Odnevall, I.; Schneider, N.; Guillemoles, J.; Erbe, A.; Volovitch, P. Synergistic Effect between Molybdenum Back Contact and CIGS Absorber in the Degradation of Solar Cells. Progress in Photovoltaics 2024, 32 (3), 137–155.
(4) Debono, A.; Fikree, N.; Julien, A.; Rebai, A.; Harada, N.; Schneider, N.; Guillemoles, J.; Volovitch, P. Impact of Agricultural Atmospheric Pollutants on the Opto‐electrical Performance of CIGS Solar Cells. Progress in Photovoltaics 2024, pip.3834.
(5) Schulz, P. Interface Design for Metal Halide Perovskite Solar Cells. ACS Energy Letters 2018, 3 (6), 1287–1293.
(6) Schulz, P.; Cahen, D.; Kahn, A. Halide Perovskites: Is It All about the Interfaces? Chem. Rev. 2019, 119 (5), 3349–3417.

Activities

We are looking for an enthusiastic team member who is eager to engage in the investigation of the physical-chemical properties for a range of novel semiconductors for their use in agrivoltaics. The proposed work aims to understand degradation mechanisms in thin film PV systems and the effect of the selected fertilizers or pollutants typical for agricultural environments on these mechanisms. Model systems and full assemblies (PV cells, mini-modules) will be studied in specifically designed aging procedures by a combination of in-situ and ex-situ methods (Raman, photoluminescence and electron spectroscopies, scanning electron microscopy, electrochemistry, etc). The thesis topic is integrated in an international collaboration with the University of Arizona, with regular exchanges of the PhD student to take part in measurement series abroad. Additional experiments include field exposure at the experimental AgriPV installations (at SIRTA in France or in Arizona).

Skills

• Master degree in materials science, physical chemistry or related fields
• Solid foundation in semiconductor physics and chemistry
• Strong interest in experimentation on advanced characterization setups and sample fabrication
• Good English language and communication skills
• Curious mind to explore the unknown and acquire new experimental skills
• International mobility to enter a close collaboration with our US-based partners

Work Context

The “Institut Photovoltaïque d'Île-de-France” IPVF is a global research center in the field of photovoltaic solar energy, constituted by international PV industry partners (EDF, Total, Air Liquide, Horiba and Riber) and academic research teams (CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique). The primary objective of IPVF is to increase the performance and competitiveness of solar cells and develop new breakthrough technologies. This approach is capture in:
• A dedicated research program spanning fundamental aspects of materials science to integrated technological solutions.
• State-of-the-art laboratories for cutting-edge research on PV devices and materials.
• An education program fostering master and PhD students and seminar series.