Simulation of colouring methods for Silicon PV cells

One of the elements opposed to an increasingly widespread dissemination of photovoltaic systems on residential and public building , is represented by the architectural constraints often imposed on buildings of historical interest or located in neighborhoods where there are strict planning rules. In order to obtain PV systems that meet so severe constraints of integration, it is necessary to rethink the technologies currently used to produce traditional panels; a good compromise between the performance of the panels and the need of a colouring effect as close as possible to the typical red brick of the roofs of buildings subjected to architectural constraints is required. This paper presents and discusses the state of the art of coloured cells and modules. Based on such a review a novel solution in the field of coloured PV cell techniques is proposed: it simulates the potentialities and limits of using a mixture of precursor gases for the deposition (PECVD) or Sputtering of a reflecting filter on the top of a standard PV Silicon cell.