High-efficiency photovoltaic cells

Why do large-area photovoltaic systems need high-efficiency solar cells?

Because the cost of photovoltaic systems is only partly determined by the cost of the solar cells, efficiency is a key driver to reduce the cost of solar energy, and therefore large-area photovoltaic systems require high-efficiency (>20%), low-cost solar cells.

Why is efficiency important in photovoltaic systems?

The rate of development and deployment of large-scale photovoltaic systems over recent years has been unprecedented. Because the cost of photovoltaic systems is only partly determined by the cost of the solar cells, efficiency is a key driver to reduce the cost of solar energy.

Are photovoltaic materials efficient?

Recent developments in photovoltaic materials have led to continual improvements in their efficiency. We review the electrical characteristics of 16 widely studied geometries of photovoltaic materials with efficiencies of 10 to 29%.

Why do we need silicon solar cells for photovoltaics?

Photovoltaics provides a very clean, reliable and limitless means for meeting the ever-increasing global energy demand. Silicon solar cells have been the dominant driving force in photovoltaic technology for the past several decades due to the relative abundance and environmentally friendly nature of silicon.

What is the power conversion efficiency of thin-silicon photonic crystal solar cells?

Rev. Applied9, 044009 (2018). Bhattacharya, S., Baydoun, I., Lin, M. & John, S. Towards 30% power conversion efficiency in thin-silicon photonic crystal solar cells. Phys.

How does a photovoltaic cell work?

Limiting processes in photovoltaic materials. An efficient solar cell captures and traps all incident light (“light management”) and converts it to electrical carriers that are efficiently collected (“carrier management”).