Improving the performance of thin-film solar cell via elastocaloric cooler for power and cooling generation

To improve the overall utilization of photovoltaic energy, a hybrid system integrating a thin-film solar cell with a solid-state elastocaloric cooler is proposed to simultaneously generate electricity and cooling by utilizing low-grade photovoltaic waste heat. A comprehensive model accounting for major optoelectronic, interfacial, and thermal losses is developed to evaluate the combined performance. Under the AM 1.5G 1 sun spectrum, removing the PbS-EDT layer improves the solar cell efficiency from 13.12% to 16.37%, representing a 24.77% improvement over the conventional standalone device. Building on this optimized architecture, the resulting hybrid system further increases the efficiency to 18.81%, with a maximum power density of 188.07 W/m 2 , representing a further 14.91% improvement over the optimized standalone device. Parametric analysis is further conducted to elucidate the mechanisms governing this performance enhancement. Key influencing factors including operating temperature, absorber thickness, interface properties, and elastocaloric material parameters are examined to evaluate their impact on overall performance. These results provide quantitative design guidelines for integrated photo-electric-thermal systems and demonstrate the potential of coupling solution-processed photovoltaics with elastocaloric cooling for efficient photovoltaic waste heat utilization.