Modeling of Metastability Behavior in Perovskite-based Solar Cells for Accurate Energy Yield Estimation in Realistic Operating Conditions

In this work, we use an in-house developed energy yield (EY) modeling algorithm as a very effective tool for determining the capabilities of photovoltaic (PV) devices and their production losses associated with different mechanisms of degradation. We first use the EY simulation results to extract and quantify the energy losses attributed to the light-soaking effect (LSE) from the outdoor measurements of the two-terminal (2T) perovskite-silicon (PK-Si) tandem solar cell. The results show that LSE has a non-negligible impact on the device performance under realistic operating conditions, as the energy losses can reach up to 2% on sunny days and even exceed 12% on cloudy days. We then propose and validate a modeling approach for determining the LSE dynamics in PK-based PV devices. Finally, the EY algorithm equipped with the LSE model is used to estimate and analyze the long-term energy losses ascribed to the effect in three different geographical locations (selected from distinct Köppen-Geiger-Photovoltaic climate zones) as well as in two different open-rack configurations of the device. We show that the extent of LSE-induced losses is very different from location to location as well as from season to season. In the case of the vertical orientation of the device, the LSE losses are 3-times higher compared to the location-specific optimal orientation.