A fully coupled opto-electro-thermal model to investigate silicon solar cells under real operating conditions

Abstract

In this work, a fully coupled opto-electro-thermal model for crystalline silicon solar cells is presented. Based on a detailed set of material properties, the developed model allows us to predict and analyse the solar cell behaviour under real operating conditions in a standalone framework. The results show the potential of our model to study the influence of the cell design on its real operating performance, thus giving a new opportunity for silicon solar cell optimisation. Specifically, the doping level is found to impact both the operating temperature and the temperature coefficient, showing that two cells with the same power conversion efficiency in standard test conditions can have a very different efficiency under real operating conditions. We also demonstrate the model capability to assess in detail the influence of environmental conditions, such as the solar spectrum, which also impacts the temperature coefficient. As the latter is not required by our material-based approach but is a simulation output, this work opens the way to more reliable outdoor prediction. Moreover, the various perspectives and challenges associated with the proposed detailed multiphysics simulation of solar cells are discussed, providing important guidelines for future studies.