Energy Loss Analysis of Two-Terminal Tandem PV Systems under Realistic Operating Conditions—Revealing the Importance of Fill Factor Gains

The tandem PV technology can potentially increase the efficiency of PV modules over 30%. To design efficient modules, a quantification of the different losses is important. Herein, a model for quantifying the energy loss mechanisms in PV systems under real-world operating conditions with a level of detail back to the components and their...

Developing an energy rating for bifacial photovoltaic modules

The photovoltaic (PV) module energy rating standard series IEC 61853 does not cover bifacial PV modules. However, the market share of bifacial PV modules has dramatically increased in recent years and is projected to grow. This work demonstrates how Parts 3 and 4 of the IEC 61853 standard could be extended to bifacial modules. First, we...

Ray-optics study of gentle non-conformal texture morphologies for perovskite/silicon tandems

We investigate gentle front side textures for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. These textures enhance the absorption of sunlight, yet are sufficiently gentle to allow deposition of an efficient perovskite top cell. We present a tandem solar cell with such gentle texture, fabricated by Kaneka corporation, with an efficiency as high as 28...

Introducing a comprehensive physics-based modelling framework for tandem and other PV systems

We introduce a novel simulation tool capable of calculating the energy yield of a PV system based on its fundamental material properties and using self-consistent models. Thus, our simulation model can operate without measurements of a PV device. It combines wave and ray optics and a dedicated semiconductor simulation to model the...