Fast and accurate ray-casting-based view factor estimation method for complex geometries

The concept of view factor has various applications in engineering problems, ranging from heat management to bifacial photovoltaics. Analytical solutions for view factor calculations are difficult to obtain and normally numerical methods are used. For complex geometries, when several surfaces are arbitrarily arranged in a threedimensional...

Back-contacted BaSi₂ solar cells: An optical study

We present the optical investigation of a novel back-contacted architecture for solar cells based on a thin barium (di)silicide (BaSi₂) absorber. First, through the analysis of absorption limits of different semiconducting materials, we show the potential of BaSi₂ for photovoltaic applications. Then, the proposed back...