Multijunction Concentrator Solar Cells: Analysis and Fundamentals, co-authored by Greg Smestad, is the first chapter in the newly released High Concentrator Photovoltaics Fundamentals, Engineering and Power Plants. Available to order now from Springer. View Chapter 1 on Google Books.
High Concentrator Photovoltaics was co-authored by a group of international scientists collaborating in the field. An excellent preview of the book can be viewed on the Table of Contents in PDF.
Abstract
Multi-junction (MJ) concentrator solar cells are primarily constructed of III-V semiconductor materials. The high solar conversion efficiencies of these devices are dependent upon precise control of growth conditions using one of several techniques such as: MBE, MOCVD or MOVPE deposition. The use of several junctions in a multi-junction tandem stack allows these devices to achieve efficiencies that are not possible for single-junction devices. Their behaviour is consequently complex, but can be understood through an examination of the external quantum efficiency (EQE) and the temperature dependence of each cell in the stack. This chapter lays out a systematic approach for understanding the spectral and temperature dependence of the overall multi-junction device via a consideration of its component subcells. The efficiency of the cell as a function of temperature and concentration is described for both lattice-matched (LM) and metamorphic (MM) triple-junction solar cells. The electrical characteristics and current-voltage curves are described from these considerations, and the performance of multi-junction solar cells under real operating conditions are then presented by considering a term describing the overall thermal factor and another term for the spectral factor. These terms can be understood from the background presented in the previous sections. Finally, the power output for the complete cell incorporated into a Fresnel lens-based High Concentration PV (HCPV) system is presented for a particular geographic location using meteorological data.
Chapter 1 Contents
Multijunction Concentrator Solar Cells: Analysis and Fundamentals / 9
Eduardo F. Fernández, Antonio J. Garcia-Loureiro, and Greg P. Smestad
- Introduction / 9
- Overview of MJ Concentrator Solar Cells / 11
- Analysis of the Behaviour of MJ Solar Cells / 15
- EQE / 15
- Influence of the Input Spectrum / 18
- Influence of Optical Concentration / 19
- Equivalent Circuit Models of MJ Solar Cells / 23
High Concentrator Photovoltaics Fundamentals,
Engineering and Power Plants.
by Editors: Pérez-Higueras, Pedro, Fernández, Eduardo F.
ISBN 978-3-319-15039-0
477 pages, Springer; 1st ed. 2015
Hardcover, $139; eBook, $109
Product Dimensions 9.s x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
