Ray Tracing Comparison between Triple-Junction and Four-Junction Solar Cells in PMMA Fresnel-Based High-CPV Units

Abstract

The recent development of wafer bonded four-junction concentrator solar cells (FJSCs) with record efficiency among all the existent photovoltaic (PV) cells offers new possibilities for improving the High Concentrator PV (HCPV) technology. However, the concentrator optical systems utilized in HCPV modules may have to be adapted to the new requirements of FJSC in order to properly take advantage of the increased number of p-n junctions. This research theoretically compares two identical optical concentrator systems, a Frensel lens plus a kind of refractive SILO (SIngle-Lens-Optical element) secondary (both made of PMMA, poly(methyl methacrylate)), which are equipped with a typical triple-junction concentrator solar cell (TJSC) in the one case, and with an FJSC in the other case. Both HCPV units are analyzed through ray tracing optical simulations applying an exhaustive optical modelling that takes into account the spectral responses of the different subcells within the multi-junction cells. The HCPV unit with the FJSC and PMMA SOE (secondary optical element) shows much less efficiency than that with the TJSC due to the light absorption through the PMMA SOE in the wavelength range of the bottom subcell. Therefore, PMMA SOEs may be not appropriate for FJSC in general.

Keywords

• high concentrator photovoltaics
• optical modelling
• Fresnel lens
• refractive secondary optics
• triple-junction cells
• four-junction cells