Study of non-uniform light profiles on high concentration III-V solar cells using quasi-3D distributed models

Abstract

The quasi-3D models based on distributed circuit units are a powerful tool to analyse the performance of a solar cell from the point of view of its electrical behavior. Quite accurate models have been developed in the past that reproduce the experimental data of single-junction solar cells very closely. These models help in the determination of the origin of the peculiarities of the dark and one sun or high concentration experimental I-V curves. They also allow the design of the front grid, the analysis of the impact of the electrical parameters of the solar cell on the performance of the final device, etc. In this work, these models are used to study the effect of non-uniform profiles, generated by the concentrator optics, on the performance of a concentrator solar cell. The design of the front grid is then optimized to minimize the losses introduced by the light distribution, even taking into account the effect of the tracking system misalignment. As an introductory application example of multijunction solar cells analysis with this kind of modeling, the effect of the chromatic aberration on a double junction solar cell is presented.