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Multi-junction photovoltaics provide a logical method of increasing the utilization of solar power for a given area. However, their current design and fabrication methods invoke numerous material and cost complexities that limit their…
We introduce a concept of semi-shunts representing needle shaped metallic protrusions shorter than the distance between a device electrodes. Due to the lightening rod type of field enhancement, they induce strong electron emission. We…
Solar water splitting provides a promising path for sustainable hydrogen production and solar energy storage. One of the greatest challenges towards large-scale utilization of this technology is reducing the hydrogen production cost. The…
We report an improved device fabrication process employed in the development of an advanced front contact grid design employing external busbars. The advanced fabrication process results in enhanced solar cell performance measured at…
Absorbed sunlight in a solar cell produces electrons and holes. But, at the open circuit condition, the carriers have no place to go. They build up in density and, ideally, they emit external fluorescence that exactly balances the incoming…
The observed open circuit voltages in best performing solar cells are explained outside of the recombination paradigm, based on such factors as electrostatic screening, Meyer-Neldel effect, and lateral nonuniformities. The underlying…
Maximizing the power conversion efficiency of solar cells plays a crucial role in upscaling solar energy production. Combining two or more solar cells with different bandgaps into a multi-junction tandem solar cells lowers thermalization…
Intermediate Band Solar Cell is an advanced concept for solar energy conversion in which two low-energy photons can promote an electron to the conduction band through a so-called intermediate band. To limit recombination and preserve the…
The thermal management of an outdoor electronic enclosure can be quite challenging due to the additional thermal load from the sun and the requirement of having an air-sealed enclosure. It is essential to consider the effect of solar…
Photogalvanic solar cells, the original dye based solar cell, have yet to fulfill their promise as a low fabrication cost, scalable energy conversion system. The efficient performance of photogalvanic cells relies on high dye solubility and…
Making solution-cast organic solar cells industrially available generally comes at the cost of significant performance losses compared to device prototypes manufactured under laboratory conditions. Adjusting solvent evaporation kinetics is…
The current state of the art in direct water splitting in photo-electrochemical cells (PECs) is presented together with: (i) a case study of water splitting using a simple solar cell with the most efficient water splitting electrodes and…
Hot-carrier solar cells are envisioned to utilize energy filtering to extract power from photogenerated electron-hole pairs before they thermalize with the lattice, and thus potentially offer higher power conversion efficiency compared to…
Many advanced solar cell concepts propose surpassing the Shockley Queisser (SQ) limit by introducing multiple quasi-Fermi level separations that are arranged in series and/or in parallel. Exceeding the SQ limit with any parallel arrangement…
Theoretically and experimentally we have proved the existence of optimal thickness of the porous layer used as an anti-reflection coating in solar cells. We have taken into account the joint mechanisms of generation and recombination of…
Solar cells manufactured on top of Ge substrates suffer from inherent drawbacks that hinder or limit their potential. The most deleterious ones are heavy weight, high bulk recombination, lack of photon confinement and an increase of the…
The transformation of the long-wavelength edge of the external quantum exit (EQE) formation mechanisms in textured silicon solar cells (SCs) is revealed, depending on their thickness. Expressions for experimental EQE dependences on the…
For commercial one-sun solar modules, up to 80% of the incoming sunlight may be dissipated as heat, potentially raising the temperature 20 C - 30 C higher than the ambient. In the long term, extreme self-heating erodes efficiency and…
While silicon solar cells dominate global photovoltaic energy production, their continued improvement is hindered by the single junction limit. One potential solution is to use molecular singlet exciton fission to generate two electrons…
An isolated single-junction solar cell's temperature in outer space depends only on its radiation exchange with its environment. We consider a cell with zero emissivity below its bandgap and unity above it -- an idealization so far…