Optical improvements and energy-yield calculations of solar cells

Photovoltaic solar energy is one of the most important technologies to decarbonize the energy sector. In many regions of the planet, solar energy is the cheapest way to generate electricity. In this talk I first introduce perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, which allow us to overcome the efficiency limit of market-dominant silicon cells with a theoretical limit of 29.4% power conversion efficiency (PCE). I will discuss how photonic concepts were implemented to reach 29.8% PCE at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. Further I will discuss recent results on textured all-perovskite tandem solar cells.

In the second part of my talk, I will discuss why energy yield calculations are important and how modelling can be used for accurate energy-yield modelling. Finally, I will briefly look at the emerging topic of thermal management for solar panels.