Heat generation and mitigation in silicon solar cells and modules

Lujia Xu; Wenzhu Liu; Haohui Liu; Cangming Ke; Mingcong Wang; Chenlin Zhang; Erkan Aydin; Mohammed Al-Aswad; Konstantinos Kotsovos; Issam Gereige; Ahmed Al-Saggaf; Aqil Jamal; Xinbo Yang; Peng Wang; Frédéric Laquai; Thomas Allen; Stefaan De Wolf

doi:10.1016/j.joule.2021.01.012

Heat generation and mitigation in silicon solar cells and modules

Lujia Xu, Wenzhu Liu, Haohui Liu, Cangming Ke, Mingcong Wang, Chenlin Zhang, Erkan Aydin, Mohammed Al-Aswad, Konstantinos Kotsovos, Issam Gereige, Ahmed Al-Saggaf, Aqil Jamal, Xinbo Yang, Peng Wang, Frédéric Laquai, Thomas Allen, Stefaan De Wolf

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Cost-effective photovoltaics (PVs) require a high energy yield with a long system lifetime. However, both are adversely affected by temperature. Here, we assess the economic impact of thermal effects on PV systems by establishing a temperature-dependent levelized cost of energy (LCOE) model. Using this model, we introduce an equivalent ratio (with the unit of absolute efficiency %/K) as a new metric that quantitatively translates the LCOE gain obtained by reducing the module temperature () to an equivalent absolute power conversion efficiency increase. The substantial value of motivates us to investigate the root causes of heating in solar cells and modules, with a focus on crystalline-Si (c-Si) PVs, given its market dominance. To link the heat analysis with , we establish and validate an opto-electronically coupled thermal model to predict . This modeling approach enables the quantification of possible ways to mitigate undesired heating effects.

Original language	English (US)
Journal	Joule
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2021.01.012
State	Published - Mar 2021

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2021-03-10
Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): OSR-CRG URF/1/3383
Acknowledgements: This work was supported by funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under award no. OSR-CRG URF/1/3383 and funding from Saudi Aramco under grant no. RGC/3/3935-01. Authors acknowledge the discussion and help from Keith McIntosh from PVlighthouse and acknowledge the help on sample preparation and measurement from Hang Xu, Jingxuan Kang, Jiang Liu, and Michele De Bastiani from KSC, KAUST. The outdoor module performance measurement was supported by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS). SERIS is sponsored by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF) through the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). Figure 3A was produced by Xavier Pita, scientific illustrator at KAUST.

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10.1016/j.joule.2021.01.012

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@article{755235d925224e0e9a9230d6cad64a50,

title = "Heat generation and mitigation in silicon solar cells and modules",

abstract = "Cost-effective photovoltaics (PVs) require a high energy yield with a long system lifetime. However, both are adversely affected by temperature. Here, we assess the economic impact of thermal effects on PV systems by establishing a temperature-dependent levelized cost of energy (LCOE) model. Using this model, we introduce an equivalent ratio (with the unit of absolute efficiency %/K) as a new metric that quantitatively translates the LCOE gain obtained by reducing the module temperature () to an equivalent absolute power conversion efficiency increase. The substantial value of motivates us to investigate the root causes of heating in solar cells and modules, with a focus on crystalline-Si (c-Si) PVs, given its market dominance. To link the heat analysis with , we establish and validate an opto-electronically coupled thermal model to predict . This modeling approach enables the quantification of possible ways to mitigate undesired heating effects.",

author = "Lujia Xu and Wenzhu Liu and Haohui Liu and Cangming Ke and Mingcong Wang and Chenlin Zhang and Erkan Aydin and Mohammed Al-Aswad and Konstantinos Kotsovos and Issam Gereige and Ahmed Al-Saggaf and Aqil Jamal and Xinbo Yang and Peng Wang and Fr{\'e}d{\'e}ric Laquai and Thomas Allen and {De Wolf}, Stefaan",

note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2021-03-10 Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): OSR-CRG URF/1/3383 Acknowledgements: This work was supported by funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under award no. OSR-CRG URF/1/3383 and funding from Saudi Aramco under grant no. RGC/3/3935-01. Authors acknowledge the discussion and help from Keith McIntosh from PVlighthouse and acknowledge the help on sample preparation and measurement from Hang Xu, Jingxuan Kang, Jiang Liu, and Michele De Bastiani from KSC, KAUST. The outdoor module performance measurement was supported by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS). SERIS is sponsored by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore{\textquoteright}s National Research Foundation (NRF) through the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). Figure 3A was produced by Xavier Pita, scientific illustrator at KAUST.",

year = "2021",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1016/j.joule.2021.01.012",

language = "English (US)",

journal = "Joule",

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publisher = "Cell Press",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Heat generation and mitigation in silicon solar cells and modules

AU - Xu, Lujia

AU - Liu, Wenzhu

AU - Liu, Haohui

AU - Ke, Cangming

AU - Wang, Mingcong

AU - Zhang, Chenlin

AU - Aydin, Erkan

AU - Al-Aswad, Mohammed

AU - Kotsovos, Konstantinos

AU - Gereige, Issam

AU - Al-Saggaf, Ahmed

AU - Jamal, Aqil

AU - Yang, Xinbo

AU - Wang, Peng

AU - Laquai, Frédéric

AU - Allen, Thomas

AU - De Wolf, Stefaan

N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2021-03-10 Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): OSR-CRG URF/1/3383 Acknowledgements: This work was supported by funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under award no. OSR-CRG URF/1/3383 and funding from Saudi Aramco under grant no. RGC/3/3935-01. Authors acknowledge the discussion and help from Keith McIntosh from PVlighthouse and acknowledge the help on sample preparation and measurement from Hang Xu, Jingxuan Kang, Jiang Liu, and Michele De Bastiani from KSC, KAUST. The outdoor module performance measurement was supported by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS). SERIS is sponsored by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF) through the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). Figure 3A was produced by Xavier Pita, scientific illustrator at KAUST.

PY - 2021/3

Y1 - 2021/3

N2 - Cost-effective photovoltaics (PVs) require a high energy yield with a long system lifetime. However, both are adversely affected by temperature. Here, we assess the economic impact of thermal effects on PV systems by establishing a temperature-dependent levelized cost of energy (LCOE) model. Using this model, we introduce an equivalent ratio (with the unit of absolute efficiency %/K) as a new metric that quantitatively translates the LCOE gain obtained by reducing the module temperature () to an equivalent absolute power conversion efficiency increase. The substantial value of motivates us to investigate the root causes of heating in solar cells and modules, with a focus on crystalline-Si (c-Si) PVs, given its market dominance. To link the heat analysis with , we establish and validate an opto-electronically coupled thermal model to predict . This modeling approach enables the quantification of possible ways to mitigate undesired heating effects.

AB - Cost-effective photovoltaics (PVs) require a high energy yield with a long system lifetime. However, both are adversely affected by temperature. Here, we assess the economic impact of thermal effects on PV systems by establishing a temperature-dependent levelized cost of energy (LCOE) model. Using this model, we introduce an equivalent ratio (with the unit of absolute efficiency %/K) as a new metric that quantitatively translates the LCOE gain obtained by reducing the module temperature () to an equivalent absolute power conversion efficiency increase. The substantial value of motivates us to investigate the root causes of heating in solar cells and modules, with a focus on crystalline-Si (c-Si) PVs, given its market dominance. To link the heat analysis with , we establish and validate an opto-electronically coupled thermal model to predict . This modeling approach enables the quantification of possible ways to mitigate undesired heating effects.

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/667981

UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S254243512100043X

U2 - 10.1016/j.joule.2021.01.012

DO - 10.1016/j.joule.2021.01.012

M3 - Article

SN - 2542-4351

JO - Joule

JF - Joule

ER -

Heat generation and mitigation in silicon solar cells and modules

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