Related papers: Double-absorber thin-film solar cell with 34% effi…
We report a proof-of-concept two-terminal perovskite/Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) monolithic thin-film tandem solar cell grown on ultra-thin (30-microns thick), light-weight, and flexible polyimide foil with a steady-state power conversion…
Two-terminal tandem cell architectures are believed to be an effective way to further improve the power conversion efficiency in solution processed photovoltaics. To design an efficient tandem solar cell, two key issues need to be…
Although spectrally selective materials play a key role in existing and emerging solar thermal technologies, temperature-related degradation currently limits their use to below 700C in vacuum, and even lower temperatures in air. Here we…
Understanding the maximal enhancement of solar absorption in semiconductor materials by light trapping promises the development of affordable solar cells. However, the conventional Lambertian limit is only valid for idealized material…
Creating a single bandgap solar cell that approaches the Shockley-Queisser limit requires a highly reflective rear mirror. This mirror enhances the voltage of the solar cell by providing photons with multiple opportunities for escaping out…
This study investigates optical and electrical properties of thin melanin films self-organized grown from water solutions of eumelanin extracted from edible plants. The melanin films exhibit the characteristics of a transparent low…
Density functional theory and many-body (GW+BSE) calculations of transmittance, absorbance, and reflectance are performed on silicon and black phosphorus (BP). We find that a damping value of 0.01 used in the dielectric function calculation…
Colored solar cells suffer from lower efficiency due to reflection and absorption losses by coatings. By studying different types of coatings on solar cells, the spectrum parameters impacting the solar cell efficiency were identified. A…
Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe)-based solar cells are promising candidates for efficient sunlight harvesting. However, their complex composition and microstructure can change under operation conditions, for instance heating from sun light illumination…
The hybrid metal-dielectric nanostructures (HMDN) are promising candidates to address the ohmic loss by conventional nanostructures in photovoltaic applications by strong confinement and high scattering directivity. In this study, we…
Sulfide chalcopyrite, Cu(In,Ga)S2, having wide bandgap (larger than 1.5 eV), favorable optoelectronic properties, and high stability, is a promising top-cell absorber for tandem applications. Adapting device structures optimized for 1.0 -…
In kesterite CZTSSe solar cell research, an asymmetric crystallization profile is often obtained after annealing, resulting in a bilayered or double-layered absorber. So far, only segregated pieces of research exist to characterize this…
The performance of a near-field thermophotovoltaic system with a tandem-cell structure composed of thin-film p-doped GaSb and n-doped InAs sub-cells on a gold backside reflector is theoretically investigated. The temperatures of the…
Selenium has resurged as a promising photovoltaic material in solar cell research due to its wide direct bandgap of 1.95 eV, making it a suitable candidate for a top cell in tandem photovoltaic devices. However, the optoelectronic quality…
We develop a new approach to calculate the obtainable limit of photoconversion efficiency of tandem solar cells (SCs) and applied it to SCs with both vertical and lateral designs at AM0 and AM1.5 conditions. To get the maximum efficiency,…
Compound semiconductors have been the predominant building blocks for the current mid-infrared thermophotovoltaic devices relevant to sub-2000 K heat conversion and power beaming. However, the prohibitively high cost associated with these…
Selenium is an elemental semiconductor with a wide bandgap suitable for a range of optoelectronic and solar energy conversion technologies. However, developing such applications requires an in-depth understanding of the fundamental material…
The improvement of light absorption in Si/BeSe$_{0.41}$Te$_{0.59}$ heterostructures for solar cell applications is studied theoretically. First, using simple approaches we found that light absorption could be improved in a single…
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…
Indoor heating during winters accounts for a significant portion of energy consumed by buildings in regions of cold climate. Development of transparent coatings for windows that efficiently harvest solar energy can play a major role in…