Wide-bandgap space solar cells

The majority of satellites and near-earth probes developed to date have used photovoltaic (PV) arrays for power generation. For future missions probing closer to the sun, solar cells need to be developed that can function at higher temperatures, light intensity, and radiation conditions. The theoretical and experimental performance of wide-bandgap materials for use as high-temperature solar cells has been studied. The dependence of solar cell parameters as a function of temperature and cell bandgap was investigated. Several wide-bandgap materials (i.e., GaP, SiC, and GaN) are compared to the conventional materials used for space solar cells.