Solar characteristics

On Venus, the noble gases do not appear to have greatly evolved from solar characteristics. The heavy rare-gas elemental abundances are similar to solar values, although this similarity does not extend to neon, since the e/ Ar ratio is low. Nonetheless, the je/ Ne ratio is closer to the solar value. Venus is also gas rich, with the absolute abundance of argon on Venus exceeding... 

Mercury Telluride. Compounds of mercury with tellurium have gained importance as semiconductors with appHcations in infrared detection (9) and solar cells (10). The ratio of the components is varied, and other elements such as cadmium, zinc, and indium are added to modify the electronic characteristics. 

Solar cells have been used extensively and successfully to power sateUites in space since the late 1950s, where their high power-to-weight ratio and demonstrated rehabiUty are especially desirable characteristics. On earth, where electrical systems typically provide large amounts of power at reasonable costs, three principal technical limitations have thus far impeded the widespread use of photovoltaic products solar cells are expensive, sunlight has a relatively low power density, and commercially available solar cells convert sunlight to electricity with limited efficiency. Clearly, terrestrial solar cells must be reasonably efficient, affordable, and durable. International efforts are dedicated to obtaining such devices, and a number of these activities have been reviewed (1). 

The photogenerated current is in the same direction as /, but is always less than because the battier potential under load conditions is always less than F, which results in a larger flow of majority carriers than that in a short-circuited cell. Thus, when a solar cell is under load, the current and voltage are always less than and lU, respectively this condition is the curve-factor loss. Depending on the characteristics of the particularp—n junction and on the cell operating conditions, there is an optimal load resistance that maximizes the power output of the cell, ie, the product of its current and voltage. 

Some properties of silver are summarized in Table 1. The solar energy transmittance and neutron-absorption characteristics of silver are shown in Eigures 1 and 2, respectively. Thermal properties are given in Table 2. Other properties are given in References 1,3, and 4. 

The avadabihty of PMDI also led to the development of polyurethane-modified isocyanurate (PUIR) foams by 1967. The PUIR foams have superior thermal stabiUty and combustibiUty characteristics, which extend the use temperature of insulation foams well above 150°C. The PUIR foams are used in pipe, vessel, and solar panel insulation glass-fiber-reinforced PUIR roofing panels having superior dimensional stabiUty have also been developed. More recently, inexpensive polyester polyols based on residues obtained in the production of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) have been used in the formulation of rigid polyurethane and PUIR foams. 

The chemical and electronic properties of elements at the interfaces between very thin films and bulk substrates are important in several technological areas, particularly microelectronics, sensors, catalysis, metal protection, and solar cells. To study conditions at an interface, depth profiling by ion bombardment is inadvisable, because both composition and chemical state can be altered by interaction with energetic positive ions. The normal procedure is, therefore, to start with a clean or other well-characterized substrate and deposit the thin film on to it slowly at a chosen temperature while XPS is used to monitor the composition and chemical state by recording selected characteristic spectra. The procedure continues until no further spectral changes occur, as a function of film thickness, of time elapsed since deposition, or of changes in substrate temperature. 

Data are provided as measured data or prepared data, representing typical data for a period of several years. Design reference years (DRY) established using methods developed with the framework of the lEA (International Energy Agency) represent characteristic data for a period of 10 years, condensed into a one-year data set. Internal coherence, e.g., between solar irradiation and air temperature, is maintained. For the United States, typical meteorological year (TMY) files are based on measurements in the period 1954 through 1972. 

Thermal characteristics of material layers for each type of wall must be specified, including thickness, conductivity, density, and specific heat. Moreover, the features of internal and external surfaces of each wall must be specified, including solar absorptance and roughness, which affect surface heat transfer coefficients. 

Figure 15-31. l/V characteristics of a large area plastic solar cell ( illuminated with 488 nm, 10 rnW/ cm2). FF for the 1TO plastic cell is 0.35. As reference a pholocurrcnl of a polycrystalline Si cell is plotted ( ), 10 limes reduced. 

On a global scale, the atmosphere serves as the major pathway for the transport and deposition of contaminants from emission sources to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem receptors (22, 27). Once a contaminant is airborne, the processes of atmospheric di sion, transport, transformation, and deposition act to determine its fate. These processes are complex and the degree to which they influence the fate of a particular contaminant is dependent on its physico-chemical characteristics, the properties and concentrations of coexisting substances, and the prevailing meteorological conditions, including wind, precipitation, humidity, temperature, clouds, fog, and solar irradiation. 

Just as in the case for the hydrosphere, the atmosphere participates in all of the major biogeochemical cycles (except for phosphorus). In turn, the chemical composition of the atmosphere dictates its physical and optical properties, the latter being of great importance for the heat balance of Earth and its climate. Both major constituents (O2, H2O) and minor ones (CO2, sulfur, nitrogen, and other carbon compounds) are involved in mediating the amounts and characteristics of both incoming solar and outgoing infrared radiation. 

The energy that powers terrestrial processes is derived primarily from the sun and from the Earth s internal heat production (mostly radioactive decay). Solar energy drives atmospheric motions, ocean circulation (tidal energy is minor), the hydrologic cycle, and photosynthesis. The Earth s internal heat drives convection that is largely manifested at the Earth s surface by the characteristic deformation and volcanism associated with plate tectonics, and by the hotspot volcanism associated with rising plumes of especially hot mantle material. 

Room-temperature fluorescence (RTF) has been used to determine the emission characteristics of a wide variety of materials relative to the wavelengths of several Fraunhofer lines. Fraunhofer lines are bands of reduced intensity in the solar spectrum caused by the selective absorption of light by gaseous elements in the solar atmosphere. RTF studies have recently included the search for the causes of the luminescence of materials and a compilation of information that will lead to "luminescence signatures" for these materials. For this purpose, excitation-emission matrix (EEM) data are now being collected. 

Fig. 5.4 Power characteristics of CdS/sodium polysulfide solar cells. Solution composition is 0.1 M NaiS + 0.01 M S+ 0.01 M NaOH. (i) Single-crystal photoanode ...

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