Insight on PV parameters on CIGS solar cell under different grading profiles

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) technology has received a lot of attention internationally since it is considered to be the most economical approach to satisfy the world's increasing energy demands. Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cell has higher absorption coefficient, long-term reliability, and low construction cost. CIGS material has a tunable bandgap that can be adjustable. In this article, study on CIGS solar cells has been performed, and strategies were proposed for maximizingefficiency using “grading”. SCAPS-1D tool has been used for numerical simulation. CIGS solar cell performance is investigated with graded profiles i.e., exponential function, beta function, power law and without a graded profile (uniform pure CIGS). The results show that cells performance appears to be significantly impacted by grading. Graded power law of CIGS solar cell has delivered power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.8%, however the efficiency achieved by ungraded CIGS solar cells is 17.8%. As a result, the observations given in this paper may stimulate greater interest in the topic among researchers who study in the field, motivating them to design this structure as well as investigate further possibilities for improving its effectiveness.