Enhancing Efficiency and Reliability of III‐V/Si Tandem Solar Cells in 2T Configurations Using Albedo Effect
ABSTRACT This study addresses current‐matching limitations in two‐terminal (2T) III‐V/Si tandem solar cells due to a fully back‐metalized III‐V top cell. Two solutions are proposed: increasing the silicon bottom cell area and enhancing rear‐side illumination using the albedo effect. The III‐V/Si tandem cell achieved 25.1% efficiency via area optimization and 35.3% efficiency using 0.3 Sun albedo illumination, with a J SC of 12.3 mA/cm 2 , V OC of 3.3 V, and FF of 87.1%. PVsyst simulations reveal a 49% higher annual energy yield over conventional silicon modules and 23% more than III‐V‐only modules. The results confirm that leveraging reflected light significantly enhances bottom‐cell performance in 2T configurations. Additionally, the high operating voltage introduces challenges such as potential‐induced degradation (PID), material breakdown, and fire risk. The study emphasizes operation and maintenance strategies including advanced diagnostics, thermal imaging, and design adherence to international safety standards. This work highlights a practical and efficient design path for integrating high‐efficiency III‐V materials with cost‐effective silicon technologies for real‐world photovoltaic systems.
Institutions
- Sungkyunkwan University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Progress in Photovoltaics Research and Applications
- Published
- 2025-12-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.70040
- Primary Topic
- Silicon and Solar Cell Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
- Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning