Solar-Grade Silicon: Techno-economic Assessment, COMSOL Modeling, and Electrolysis

Luu, Vicky; Ly, Ariana; Hazerjian, Jacob M.

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Solar-Grade Silicon: Techno-economic Assessment, COMSOL Modeling, and Electrolysis

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A current issue in the solar industry is producing solar panels cost-effectively. One of the major contributors to the high cost of solar panels is the costs of the production and purification processes of silicon that is at least 99.9999%, or solar-grade. Therefore, our research team developed a techno-economic cost model for a start-up solar-grade silicon plant that uses molten salt electrolysis and a novel bath composition of MgF₂-CaF₂-YF₃-CaO-SiO₂.Through 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional COMSOL modeling, our research team also assessed the distribution of current density, electrical potential, temperature, and velocity in the electrolysis system. Moreover, spectroscopy and microscopy, EDS and SEM respectively, techniques were used in analyzing the silicon wafer samples from the electrolysis experiments.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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