Energy Yield of Multijunction Solar Cells With Allowance for the Latitude Variability of the Spectral Composition Radiation

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Abstract

An energy yield assessment of the multijunction solar cells is proposed with allowance for the total spectral composition of direct solar radiation during the annual period. It is shown that the energy yield ratio of a four-junction solar cell near the equator is 45% in the case of an atmosphere with a low aerosol composition and 44% in the case of an atmosphere with an aerosol filling typical for the urban areas. At a latitude of +30°, the annual energy yield of this solar cell can be 1001 kWh/m2. To calculate the energy yield of installations and photovoltaic modules with such solar cells, this value adjustment is required due to the energy losses caused by the power plant design.

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About the authors

Evgenia A. Ionova

E. A. Ionova Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: journal@electronics.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2886-6706

research fellow at the Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, concentrator photovoltaics

Russian Federation, Saint-Petersburg

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. Spectral distribution of Nph photon flux with AM from 1 to 6 (shaded) through the atmospheres with low (left) and high (right) aerosol turbidity

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3. Fig. 2. Short circuit currents (Isc) of solar cells with 3 and 5 p-n junctions in the case of irradiation with the AM parameter from 1 to 6 in the atmospheres with low and high aerosol filling (shaded).

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4. Fig. 3. Number of minutes per year N with AM values in an interval with the width of 0.01 at the latitudes 10°, 40°, 60°

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5. Fig. 4. Energy yield ratio Kw of the solar cells with 1, 2, ..6 p-n junctions depending on the geographic latitude (solid line) and solar cell efficiency (dashed line)

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6. Fig. 5. Maximum permissible annual energy yield W, kWh / m2 of the solar cells with 1, 2, ..6 p-n junctions depending on the geographic latitude in an atmosphere determined in IEC 60904-3

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7. Fig. 6. Decrease in the energy yield ratio Kw of SCs with 1, 3, 4 p-n junctions (top), with 2, 5, 6 p-n junctions (bottom) during the transition from the low to high atmosphere aerosol filling (shaded). Note: in practice, the Kw value is not decreased at the high latitudes due to the transparent atmosphere

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