Exploring the development of nanocomposite encapsulation solutions for enhancing the efficiency of PV systems using optical modelling

Abstract

Plasmon enhanced luminescent down-shifting (PLDS) represents a passive design strategy in which the narrow spectral responsivity of photovoltaics (PVs) is increased through the application of a semi-transparent, fluorescent, polymer nanocomposite encapsulation. However, the additional loss pathways facilitated through the integration of the PLDS layer into the optical system must be overcome for the retrofitted structure to offer an enhancement to the underlying PV-device. In this study, through exploiting the antireflection properties of thin films and PLDS coatings, some of these loss mechanisms were addressed using a transfer matrix model. Two initial designs of this structure enhanced (SE) PLDS architecture were developed for a monocrystalline silicon (mc-Si) PV device using Ag nanoparticles to modify the properties of the poly (methyl-methacrylate) - PMMA encapsulation and antireflection coatings (ARC). Through the careful consideration of the composition and optical thickness of the ARC and the position at which it is integrated within the stratified SE-PLDS architecture, a 52% enhancement of the photocurrent is predicted to be produced, as compared to the conventional PV-device. Reducing the SE-PLDS layer's thickness further extended the improvement up to a 55% total enhancement in the mc-Si cell electrical generating capacity, even in the absence of plasmon assisted photoluminescence.