Mathematical Modelling of Solar Cells
This talk presents the development and the numerical approximation of mathematical models for some well known solar cell architectures.
Overview
Solar cells are devices whose performance is governed by the coupled interaction of charge transport, electrostatics, and recombination processes across multiple spatial and temporal scales. This talk presents a mathematical modelling framework for solar cells based on drift–diffusion systems, highlighting how fundamental semiconductor physics is translated into nonlinear partial differential equations with appropriate boundary and interface conditions. We discuss steady-state and transient formulations, the role of material parameters and device geometry. The presentation also addresses numerical challenges arising from strong nonlinearities and multiscale behavior, and illustrates how mathematical modelling supports device design, parameter identification, and performance optimization in modern photovoltaic technologies.
Presenters
Theodoros Katsaounis, Professor, Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Crete (UoC)
Brief Biography
Dr. Theodoros Katsaounis is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Crete. He received his Ph.D in 1994 for the Univ. of Tennessee USA, in applied mathematics. After his postdoctoral studies in the Ecole Normale Superieure of Paris, he joined the Deptartment of Applied Mathematics of University of Crete, Greece as an Assistant professor in 2003. Dr. Katsaounis was a Research Scientist at KAUST from 2015 to 2020. His research interests are in the area of applied and computational mathematics with emphasis on the development, analysis and implementation of numerical methods for approximating solutions of PDE’s modelling various physical processes.
