Related papers: Ideal Solar Cell Efficiencies

The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) leads to directed photo-currents and photo-voltages in bulk materials. Unlike photo-voltages in p-n junction solar cells that are limited by carrier recombination to values below the bandgap energy of the…

Hot carrier solar cells promise theoretical power conversion efficiencies far beyond the single junction limit. However, practical implementations of hot carrier solar cells have lagged far behind those theoretical predictions. Reciprocity…

We study how much the efficiency of a solar cell as a quantum heat engine could be enhanced by quantum coherence. In contrast to the conventional approach that a quantum heat engine is in thermal equilibrium with both hot and cold…

Photochemical upconversion is a promising way to boost the efficiency of solar cells using triplet exciton annihilation. Currently, predicting the performance of photochemical upconversion devices is challenging. We present an open source…

Variability of the energy output throughout the day/night poses a major hurdle to the widespread adoption of photovoltaic systems. An integrated photovoltaic (PV) and electrochemical (EC)-storage system offers a solution, but the…

The thermodynamic limit of photovoltaic efficiency for a single-junction solar cell can be readily predicted using the bandgap of the active light absorbing material. Such an approach overlooks the energy loss due to non-radiative…

The Shockley equation (SE), originally derived to describe a p--n junction, was frequently used in the past to simulate current--voltage (j/V) characteristics of organic solar cells (OSC). In order to gain a more detailed understanding of…

The advanced multijunction solar cell (MJSC) has emerged as a frontrunner in photovoltaic literature due to its superior photoconversion efficiency (PCE) owing to its complex fabrication procedure and high costs. This article aims to…

The quest for optimal perovskite for tandem cell configurations is challenging as it involves several factors ranging from device level performance under field conditions to degradation rates and cost. Here, we first highlight the…

Solar-to-fuel direct conversion devices are a key component to realize a full transition to a renewable-energy based chemistry and energy, but their limits and possibilities are still under large debate. In this review article, we focus on…

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…

The maximal concentration limit of solar radiation for photovoltaic applications is assumed to be constant, at Cmax\approx46,000 suns. This limit is easily found via a geometrical application of the 2nd law of thermodynamics to a radiation…

Polymer solar cells are considered as very promising candidates for development of photovoltaics of the future. They are cheap and easy to fabricate, however, up to now, they possess fundamental drawback, low effectiveness. In the most…

We obtain theoretical expressions for the photocurrent in the Heterojunction solar cells with Intrinsic Thin layer (HIT cells). Our calculations take into account tunneling of electrons and holes through wide-bandgap layers of $\alpha$-Si:H…

Organic solar cells have the potential to be low-cost and efficient solar energy converters, with a promising energy balance. They are made from carbon-based semiconductors, which exhibit favourable light absorption and charge generation…

Singlet fission, in which the optical spin-singlet exciton dissociates into two low energy triplet excitons, has been proposed as a viable approach to enhance the quantum efficiency of organic solar cells. We show that even when singlet…

While renewable energies are achieving parity around the globe, efforts to reach higher solar cell efficiencies becomes ever more difficult as they approach the limiting efficiency. The so-called third generation concepts attempt to break…

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…

One of the most viable renewable energies is solar power because of its versatility, reliability, and abundance. In the market, a majority of the solar panels are made from silicon wafers. These solar panels have an efficiency of 26.4…

The GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well solar cell (QWSC) shows promise as a novel approach to higher efficiency solar cells but suffers from a poor short circuit current Jsc. We report on efforts to reduce this problem with the use of compositional…