Double-absorber thin-film solar cell with 34% efficiency
Faiz Ahmad, Akhlesh Lakhtakia, Peter B. Monk
Abstract
Power-conversion efficiency is a critical factor for the wider adoption of solar-cell modules. Thin-film solar cells are cheap and easy to manufacture, but their efficiencies are low compared to crystalline-silicon solar cells and need to be improved. A thin-film solar cell with two absorber layers (instead of only one), with bandgap energy graded in both, can capture solar photons in a wider spectral range. With a 300-nm-thick CuIn1−ξ1Gaξ1Se2 absorber layer and an 870-nm-thick Cu2ZnSn(Sξ2Se1−ξ2)4 absorber layer, an efficiency of 34.45% is predicted by a detailed optoelectronic model, provided that the grading of bandgap energy is optimal in both absorber layers.
Topics & Concepts
OptoelectronicsSolar cellMaterials scienceBand gapTheory of solar cellsSolar energySolar cell efficiencyEnergy conversion efficiencyPlasmonic solar cellLayer (electronics)OpticsPhotonWide-bandgap semiconductorPhotovoltaic systemPolymer solar cellSolar mirrorQuantum dot solar cellPhoton energyOrganic solar cellPhotovoltaicsMultiple exciton generationHybrid solar cellAbsorption (acoustics)Energy transformationChalcogenide Semiconductor Thin FilmsThin-Film Transistor TechnologiesCopper-based nanomaterials and applications