Title :
Thin film solar cell performance limits and potential
Author :
Topic, Marko ; Lipovsek, Benjamin ; Campa, A. ; Krc, Janez ; Sites, James R.
Author_Institution :
Fac. of Electr. Eng., Univ. of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract :
Limitations in performance of single-junction thin film solar cells are reviewed. Conversion efficiency in single junction solar cells is systematically analyzed in terms of energy conversion efficiency, electrical efficiency and optical efficiency. The analysis reveals a strong dependence of limitations in single junction solar cells on the band-gap of the absorber. In the case of CIGS solar cells, the band gap can be varied from 1.04 ev to 1.7 eV, which allows considerable opportunity to optimize for both band gap and the associated temperature coefficient.
Keywords :
copper compounds; energy gap; gallium compounds; indium compounds; semiconductor junctions; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; thin film devices; CIGS solar cells; Cu(GaIn)Se2; associated temperature coefficient; band-gap; conversion efficiency; electrical efficiency; energy conversion efficiency; optical efficiency; single-junction thin film solar cells; thin film solar cell performance; Absorption; Optical losses; Optical reflection; Photonic band gap; Photonics; Photovoltaic cells; CIGS; conversion efficiency; photovoltaic cell; single junction;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2013 IEEE 39th
Conference_Location :
Tampa, FL
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.2013.6744876
