HIT Solar Cell Modeling Using Graphene as a Transparent Conductive Layer Considering the Atacama Desert Solar Spectrum

Abstract

The optical and geometrical properties of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) are crucial factors influencing the efficiency of a−Si:H/c−Si heterojunction (HIT) solar cells. Graphene is a potential candidate to be used as TCO due to its optical and electrical properties. Here, the effect of graphene as TCO is numerically analyzed by varying the number of graphene layers from one to ten. First, the optical properties are calculated based on the transmittance data, and then the HJT cell’s performance is simulated under the AM1.5 standard spectrum and the mean Atacama Desert solar spectral irradiance in Chile. In the modeling, the most relevant properties are calculated with the spectrum of the Atacama Desert. The most relevant values were obtained as follows: open circuit voltage Voc=721.4 mV, short circuit current Jsc=39.6 mA/cm2, fill factor FF=76.5%, and energy conversion efficiency Eff=21.6%. The maximum power of solar panels irradiated with the Atacama Desert spectrum exceeds the results obtained with the AM1.5 standard spectrum by 10%. When graphene is the transparent conducting oxide, quantum efficiency has a higher value in the ultraviolet range, which shows that it may be convenient to use graphene-based solar cells in places where ultraviolet intensity is high.