A high‐efficiency LPE GaAs solar cell at concentrations ranging from 2000 to 4000 suns

Abstract

III–V solar cells for terrestrial concentration applications are currently becoming of greater and greater interest. From our experience, concentrations higher than 1000 suns are required with these cells to reduce PV electricity cost to such an extent that this alternative could become cost competitive.In this paper, a single‐junction p/n GaAs solar cell, with efficiencies of 23ċ8 and 22ċ5% at concentration ratios of 2700 and 3600 suns respectively, is presented. This GaAs solar cell is well suited for use with non‐imaging optical concentrators, which possess a large aperture angle. Low‐temperature liquid phase epitaxy (LTLPE) has been the growing technique for the semiconductor structure as an attempt to use a simplified, cheap and clean technique, within a renewable energy perspective.The GaAs solar cell presented is compared with the highest efficiency tandem solar cells at concentration levels exceeding 1000 suns. The GaAs solar cell performance maintains high efficiencies up to 4000 suns, while tandem cells seem to drop very quickly after reaching their maximum. Therefore, single‐junction GaAs solar cells are a good candidate for operating at very high concentrations, and LPE is able to supply these high‐quality solar cells to work within terrestrial concentration systems, the main objective of which is the reduction of PV electricity costs. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

High material efficiency MOVPE growth with in situ monitoring

“…6. The efficiencies for shorter wavelengths are low compared with the values in the literature [11] because the band offset at the widow layer, i.e., the composition of the window layer, has not been optimized. Unlike the I-V characteristics in low V/III ratio condition, the efficiency decreases drastically around the band edge and the slope in this wavelength range becomes more gradual.…”

Life cycle assessment of thin‐film GaAs and GaInP/GaAs solar modules

“…By doing so, expensive high-purity semiconductor materials required for solar cells are replaced by cheap glass and plastics, which have a smaller environmental impact. The reduction in semiconductor material is equal to the concentration ratio that can be obtained (potentially up to 4000 times for GaAs 46 ), while the efficiency of the PV system increases with increasing concentration ratio. As the environmental impact of such a system is largely determined by the concentrator optics, they can best be equipped with the highest efficiency cells available, i.e.…”

Characterization of GaAs Solar Cells under Supercontinuum Long-Time Illumination

“…Although GaAs photovoltaic cells are smaller in the field of solar cells, it can be argued that they dominate in terms of special applications such as stability and resistance to various effects of electromagnetic radiation. Examples include satellites, rovers, and other space devices [ 4 ]; military; aerospace; and high-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) systems [ 5 ]. In most of these cases, solar cells are exposed to extreme radiation and other stresses.…”