Hot carrier extraction using energy selective contacts and its impact on the limiting efficiency of a hot carrier solar cell

The extraction of charge carriers from a hot carrier solar cell using energy selective contacts, and the impact on limiting efficiency is analyzed. It is shown that previous analyses imply zero power output at all operating points and, as a consequence, the limiting conversion efficiencies are overestimates. The relationship between the limiting efficiency of a hot carrier solar cell and more general thermodynamic models is also discussed.