Performance Evaluation of an In0.5Ga0.5P/In0.01Ga0.99As/Ge Triple-Junction Solar Cell Using Two Different Concentration Systems

This paper presents the results of the electrical evaluation of a triple-junction solar cell obtained under two different lighting concentration systems: one using a solar simulator with an ellipsoid concentrator and the other using a parabolic concentrator solar furnace, both providing different concentration levels, from 220 to 670 suns inside of a surface of 1 × 1 cm2, which correspond to the triple-union solar cell area. A characterization system using an automatized XY table was designed to put the solar cell at different position from the concentration systems, allowing the sample under study to be positioned in the center of the light beam where the concentrated radiative flux is most uniform. It was found that for the solar cell under study, using the solar simulator, the electric efficiency (η) behavior has a trend to reduce when the radiative flux concentration increases from 265 to 670 suns with a (η) values of 32.1% and 22.4%, respectively; while using the solar furnace, the η was around 30%. For the solar furnace, efficiency was around 30% in almost all concentration levels.