Publications by Nicolas Würsch

Related publications (52)

Field test and electrode optimization of electrodynamic cleaning systems for solar panels

Christophe Ballif, Aïcha Hessler-Wyser, Matthieu Despeisse, Nicolas Würsch, Antonin Faes, Jacques Levrat

Soiling is the major cause of power loss of photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) in desert areas. Electrodynamic cleaning system (EDS) is an automatic and water-free integrated cleaning system for mirrors or solar panels, which uses pulsed ...

WILEY2019

Characterization of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Sensors on Polyimide Flexible Substrate

Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Sylvain Dunand

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) is a material having an intrinsically high radiation hardness that can be deposited on flexible substrates such as polyimide (PI). For these properties, a-Si:H can be used for the production of flexible sensors. a-Si ...

2024

Benefits of a Diversified Energy Mix for Islanded Systems

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Laure-Emmanuelle Perret Aebi, Lionel Benjamin Bloch, Christian Rod, Marine Dominique Cauz

Achieving energy self-sufficiency is a major challenge for remote areas, especially islands. Various technologies have recently been developed to exploit renewable resources in such areas in order to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. This work focuses on ...

2020

SCCER JA-RED - Description of the multi-energy demonstration system in the RE demo site - Deliverable 1.2.1

Nicolas Würsch, Luc Girardin, Jordan Holweger, Lionel Benjamin Bloch, Hervé Tommasi

In the optic of providing guidelines for the optimal integration of renewable energy in a connected multi-energy context, this report presents EPFL - IPESE and EPFL - PV-lab’s common work on the initial assessment of Romande Energie (RE) demonstration site ...

2017

Single photon detection with amorphous silicon-based microchannel plates: A Monte Carlo model

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Janina Christine Isabelle Löffler, Samira Alexandra Frey

Microchannel plates based on amorphous silicon have the inherent capability to overcome the existing spatial and temporal resolution limitations of single photon detectors. A Monte Carlo model-based study is presented here that serves to exploit their full ...

2022

Embracing wind power in the solar PV-dominated Swiss landscape

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Alejandro Pena Bello, Marine Dominique Cauz

The Swiss energy transition, characterized by the nuclear phase-out, relies mainly on the integration of solar photovoltaic (PV), mostly because wind technology faces challenges in local public acceptance. This study aims to analyse Swiss PV and wind gener ...

Elsevier BV2025

High-Resolution Photoemission Study of Neutron-Induced Defects in Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon Devices

Nicolas Würsch, Sylvain Dunand

In this paper, by means of high-resolution photoemission, soft X-ray absorption and atomic force microscopy, we investigate, for the first time, the mechanisms of damaging, induced by neutron source, and recovering (after annealing) of p-i-n detector devic ...

MDPI2022

Amorphous silicon detectors for proton beam monitoring in FLASH radiotherapy

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Luca Massimiliano Antognini, Sylvain Dunand

Ultra-high dose rate radiation therapy (FLASH) based on proton irradiation is of major interest for cancer treatments but creates new challenges for dose monitoring. Amorphous hydrogenated silicon is known to be one of the most radiation-hard semiconductor ...

Elsevier BV2024

X-ray qualification of hydrogenated amorphous silicon sensors on flexible substrate

Nicolas Würsch, Luca Massimiliano Antognini, Sylvain Dunand

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) is a well known material for its radiation resistance and for the possibility of deposition on flexible substrates like Polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). Due to the p ...

IEEE2023

Mobility Gaps of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Related to Hydrogen Concentration and Its Influence on Electrical Performance

Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Sylvain Dunand

This paper presents a comprehensive study of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si)-based detectors, utilizing electrical characterization, Raman spectroscopy, photoemission, and inverse photoemission techniques. The unique properties of a-Si have sparked i ...

2024

Unsupervised algorithm for disaggregating low-sampling-rate electricity consumption of households

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Jordan Holweger, Lionel Benjamin Bloch, Marina Dorokhova

Non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) has been extensively researched over the last decade. The objective of NILM is to identify the power consumption of individual appliances and to detect when particular devices are on or off from measuring the power cons ...

2019

Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Charge-Selective Contact Devices on a Polyimide Flexible Substrate for Dosimetry and Beam Flux Measurements

Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Sylvain Dunand

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) devices on flexible substrates are currently being studied for application in dosimetry and beam flux measurements. The necessity of in vivo dosimetry requires thin devices with maximal transparency and flexibility. ...

MDPI2025

Reinforcement Learning for Joint Design and Control of Battery-PV Systems

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Laure-Emmanuelle Perret Aebi, Marine Dominique Cauz

The decentralisation and unpredictability of new renewable energy sources require rethinking our energy system. Data-driven approaches, such as reinforcement learning (RL), have emerged as new control strategies for operating these systems, but they have n ...

2023

From PV to EV: Mapping the Potential for Electric Vehicle Charging with Solar Energy in Europe

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Alejandro Pena Bello, Noémie Alice Yvonne Ségolène Jeannin, Jérémy Dumoulin

The electrification of the transport sector is a key element in decarbonizing our societies. However, energy systems will have to cope with additional electricity demand due to the charging needs of electric vehicles (EVs) together with the integration of ...

2024

Distributed flexibility as a cost-effective alternative to grid reinforcement

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Jordan Holweger, Alejandro Pena Bello, Noémie Alice Yvonne Ségolène Jeannin

The deployment of distributed photovoltaics (PV) in low-voltage networks may cause technical issues such as voltage rises, line ampacity violations, and transformer overloading for distribution system operators (DSOs). These problems may induce grid reinfo ...

ELSEVIER2023

A comprehensive analysis of electron emission from a-Si:H/Al2O3 at low energies

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Janina Christine Isabelle Löffler, Samira Alexandra Frey

Recently developed microchannel plates (MCPs) based on amorphous silicon offer potential advantages with respect to glass based ones. In this context, secondary electron emission (SEE) at very low energies below 100 eV has been studied for relevant materia ...

IOP Publishing Ltd2023

New Developments in Amorphous Silicon Based Microchannel Plates

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Luca Massimiliano Antognini, Samira Alexandra Frey, Mohammad Beygi

Microchannel plates fabricated from hydrogenated amorphous silicon (AMCPs) are a promising alternative to conventional glass microchannel plates. Their main advantages lie in their flexible fabrication processes, allowing for adaptable channel shapes and t ...

2023

Fabrication and Characterization of High Aspect Ratio Amorphous Silicon Based Microchannel Plates

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Janina Christine Isabelle Löffler, Samira Alexandra Frey, Mohammad Beygi

This contribution focuses on the fabrication and characterization of microchannel plates made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (AMCPs). Flexible fabrication processes and the semi-conducting nature of amorphous silicon could give these detectors the advan ...

2021

Mitigating the impact of distributed PV in a low-voltage grid using electricity tariffs

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Jordan Holweger, Lionel Benjamin Bloch

A high share of distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation in low-voltage networks may lead to over-voltage, and line/transformer overloading. To mitigate these issues, we investigate how advanced electricity tariffs could ensure safe grid operation while en ...

2020

Characterization of a flexible a-Si:H detector for in vivo dosimetry in therapeutic x-ray beams

Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Luca Massimiliano Antognini, Sylvain Dunand

BackgroundThe increasing use of complex and high dose-rate treatments in radiation therapy necessitates advanced detectors to provide accurate dosimetry. Rather than relying on pre-treatment quality assurance (QA) measurements alone, many countries are now ...

Wiley2024