Performance characterization of photovoltaic technology with highly efficient Multi-Junction Solar Cells for Space Solar Power Satellite system

Abstract

In our research work electrical characterization with different generation of solar cells depending upon the emergence as- First Generation: Mono and Poly-crystalline Silicon, Second Generation: Thin-film Solar Cell, Third Generation: Full Spectrum Utilization with comparative efficiency study of different solar cells is investigated. Besides, major part of our research is Multi-Junction Solar Cells (MJSC), for Space Solar Power Satellite (SSPS) system, created from III–V semiconductor materials, exhibit high efficiencies comparing to other existing photovoltaic technology. Here we have shown MJSC's are composed of 3 layers of material that have different bandgaps. The upper layer has the largest bandgap while the lower layer has the smallest bandgap. This model allows less energetic photons to pass through the upper layers and be absorbed by the lower layer, which increases the overall efficiency. One significant estimation is that generated photocurrent in each layer must be the same since the layers are in series. Besides, for most effective absorption from the spectrum of incident radiation, the bandgaps of each layer should differ by approximately equal energies. Due to the high cost, multi-junction solar cells are usually used in the SSPS system, in Microwave Power Beaming from space to ground based receiving station and as collector cells where a large amount of sunlight is reflected onto the cell.