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1. 4-T CdTe/Perovskite Thin Film Tandem Solar Cells with Efficiency >24%

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.4c01118  

   Paul, Ananta; Singha, Abhijit; Hossain, Kashimul; Gupta, Saurabh; Misra, Manas; Mallick, Sudhanshu; Munshi, Amit H; Kabra, Dinesh (May 2024, ACS Energy Letters)

   De_Angelis, Filippo (Ed.)

   An integration of perovskite and cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells in a tandem configuration has the potential to yield efficient thin-film tandem solar cells. Owing to the promise of higher efficiency at low cost, the presented study aims to explore the potential for combining this commercially established CdTe photovoltaics (PV) with next-generation perovskite PV. Here, we developed four-terminal (4-T) CdTe/perovskite tandem solar cells, starting with 18.3% efficient near-infrared-transparent perovskite solar cells (NIR-TPSCs) with an average transmission (Tavg) of 24.76% in the 300−900 nm wavelength range. These were then integrated with 19.56% efficient opaque CdTe solar cells, achieving 23.42% efficiency in a 4-T tandem configuration. Additionally, using a refractive index matching liquid increases the overall power conversion efficiency (PCE)to 24.2%. This pioneering achievement marks the first instance of a 4-T CdTe/perovskite thin-film tandem solar cell exceeding a PCE of 24.2%, a significant 123.72% increase in overall PCE. 

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2. Cadmium Telluride Cells on Silicon as Precursors for Two-Junction Tandem Cells

   Pandey, R.; Drayton, J.; Gregory, C.; Mohan Kumar, N.; Tyler, K.; King, R.; Sites, J. (January 2020, Conference record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference)

   Cadmium telluride and silicon are among the widely used absorber materials in photovoltaic industry. A tandem solar cell of these two can absorb significant portion of solar spectrum to yield high efficiency due to the added voltage of the two solar cells. On basis of low-cost production, a CdTe/Si cell has the potential to produce low-cost and high efficiency tandem PV. The CdTe top cell in a substrate configuration is essential to achieve a tandem between CdTe and Si. A functional CdS/CdTe solar cell in the substrate configuration was fabricated on a Si wafer. Current -Voltage measurements show a diode-like curve with lower J-V parameters compared to standard CdS/CdTe cells. SCAPS simulations were performed to identify possible reasons for poor performance and help improve the device performance. 

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3. Exploring the Feasibility and Performance of Perovskite/Antimony Selenide Four-Terminal Tandem Solar Cells

   https://doi.org/10.3390/solar4020010  

   Menon, Harigovind; Amin, Al; Duan, Xiaomeng; Vijayaraghavan, S N; Wall, Jacob; Xiang, Wenjun; Khawaja, Kausar Ali; Yan, Feng (June 2024, Solar)

   The tandem solar cell presents a potential solution to surpass the Shockley–Queisser limit observed in single-junction solar cells. However, creating a tandem device that is both cost-effective and highly efficient poses a significant challenge. In this study, we present proof of concept for a four-terminal (4T) tandem solar cell utilizing a wide bandgap (1.6–1.8 eV) perovskite top cell and a narrow bandgap (1.2 eV) antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) bottom cell. Using a one-dimensional (1D) solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS), our calculations indicate the feasibility of this architecture, projecting a simulated device performance of 23% for the perovskite/Sb2Se3 4T tandem device. To validate this, we fabricated two wide bandgap semitransparent perovskite cells with bandgaps of 1.6 eV and 1.77 eV, respectively. These were then mechanically stacked with a narrow bandgap antimony selenide (1.2 eV) to create a tandem structure, resulting in experimental efficiencies exceeding 15%. The obtained results demonstrate promising device performance, showcasing the potential of combining perovskite top cells with the emerging, earth-abundant antimony selenide thin film solar technology to enhance overall device efficiency. 

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4. Techno-Economic Analysis of Atmospheric Water Harvesting Across Climates

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00098  

   Gayoso, Natalie; Moylan, Emily; Noha, Wenny; Wang, Jingjing; Mulchandani, Anjali (July 2024, ACS ES&T Engineering)

   Drinking water scarcity is a global challenge as groundwater and surface water availability diminishes. The atmosphere is an alternative freshwater reservoir that has universal availability and could be harvested as drinking water. In order to effectively perform atmospheric water harvesting (AWH), we need to (1) understand how different climate regions (e.g., arid, temperate, and tropical) drive the amount of water that can be harvested and (2) determine the cost to purchase, operate, and power AWH. This research pairs thermodynamics with techno-economic analysis to calculate the water productivity and cost breakdown of a representative condensation-based AWH unit with water treatment. We calculate the monthly and annual levelized cost of water from AWH as a function of climate and power source (grid electricity vs renewable energy from solar photovoltaics (PV)). In our modeled unit, AWH can provide 1744–2710 L/month in a tropical climate, 394–1983 L/month in a temperate climate, and 37–1470 L/month in an arid climate. The levelized cost of water of AWH powered by the electrical grid is $0.06/L in a tropical climate, $0.09/L in a temperate climate, and $0.17/L in an arid climate. If off-grid solar PV was purchased at the time of purchasing the AWH unit to power the AWH, the costs increase to $0.40/L in an arid climate, $0.17/L in a temperate climate, and $0.10/L in a tropical climate. However, if using existing solar PV there are potential cost reductions of 4.25–5-fold between purchasing and using existing solar PV, and 2–3-fold between using the electrical grid and existing solar PV, with the highest cost reductions occurring in the tropical climate. Using existing solar PV, the levelized cost of AWH is $0.09/L in an arid climate, $0.04/L in a temperate climate, and $0.02/L in a tropical climate. 

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5. Circuit Connection Reconfiguration of Partially Shaded BIPV Systems, a Solution for Power Loss Reduction

   Hosseiniirani, Seyedehhamideh; Kim, Kyoung-Hee (December 2023, ACSA Annual Meeting In Common)

   Integrating PV panels as a source of clean energy has been a widely established method to achieve net-zero energy (NZE) buildings. The exterior envelope of the high-rise buildings can serve as the best place to integrate PV panels for utilizing solar energy. The taller the building, the higher the potential to utilize solar energy by PV panels. However, shadows casting on the BIPV façade systems are unavoidable as they are often subject to partial shades from panels self-shading as well as building walls. Partial shading or ununiform solar radiation on the PV surface causes a dramatic decrease in the current output of the circuit. For that reason, in BIPV facades the default circuit connection of manufactured PV panels does not output maximum power under partial shading conditions. This paper investigates the different circuit connections in BIPV façade system to achieve higher energy yields while addressing design requirements. To this end, PV power production in different circuit connection reconfiguration scenarios was explored in two levels of BIPV components: 1) PV cells, and 2) strings of PV cells. Experimental tests conducted to validate the simulation results. The results of this study indicated that the maximum power generation occurred when the circuit connection between cells within a string is series, and the circuit connection between the strings within a PV panel is parallel. Results of the experimental tests shown that the series-parallel circuit connection increases the energy yields of the BIPV facades 71 times in real-world applications. The comparison analysis of the Ladybug energy simulations and the proposed analysis Grasshopper analysis recipe power output showed that the developed Grasshopper script will increase the BIPVs energy yields by 90% in simulations. 

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