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Singlet fission and tandem solar cells reduce thermal degradation and enhance lifespan
Author(s) -
Jiang Yajie,
Nielsen Michael P.,
Baldacchino Alex J.,
Green Martin A.,
McCamey Dane R.,
Tayebjee Murad J. Y.,
Schmidt Timothy W.,
EkinsDaukes Nicholas. J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.3405
Subject(s) - tandem , singlet fission , silicon , optoelectronics , materials science , photovoltaic system , tetracene , fission , nanotechnology , singlet state , chemistry , excited state , physics , electrical engineering , nuclear physics , composite material , engineering , organic chemistry , molecule , neutron
The economic value of a photovoltaic installation depends upon both its lifespan and power conversion efficiency. Progress toward the latter includes mechanisms to circumvent the Shockley‐Queisser limit, such as tandem designs and multiple exciton generation (MEG). Here we explain how both silicon tandem and MEG‐enhanced silicon cell architectures result in lower cell operating temperatures, increasing the device lifetime compared to standard c‐Si cells. Also demonstrated are further advantages from MEG enhanced silicon cells: (i) the device architecture can completely circumvent the need for current‐matching; and (ii) upon degradation, tetracene, a candidate singlet fission (a form of MEG) material, is transparent to the solar spectrum. The combination of (i) and (ii) mean that the primary silicon device will continue to operate with reasonable efficiency even if the singlet fission layer degrades. The lifespan advantages of singlet fission enhanced silicon cells, from a module perspective, are compared favorably alongside the highly regarded perovskite/silicon tandem and conventional c‐Si modules.