Abstract
In order to realize a high power conversion efficiency, a solar cell should effectively utilize most of the incoming photons. Here, we demonstrate a spherical shaped solar cell that is capable of capturing direct, diffuse and background reflected light without the need for a mechanical sun-tracking tool. The spherical cell is based on monocrystalline silicon with an efficiency of 19% ad is developed using a corrugation technique to achieve flexibility in otherwise rigid silicon. The obtained spherical cell is large scale with a diameter of around 4 cm. Theoretical calculations in addition to experimental results confirm the merits of the spherical solar cell which shows an increase in instantaneous power output by 14.8% and 39.7% with respect to a traditional flat cell with the same ground area when sand and white paper are used as reflective background materials, respectively. Finally, the spherical shaped cell shows advantages in terms of lower dust accumulation rate due to its downward orientation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | 2020 47th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) |
Publisher | IEEE |
Pages | 0170-0172 |
Number of pages | 3 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781728161150 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 14 2020 |
Bibliographical note
KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2021-02-02Acknowledgements: KAUST Solar Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) and KAUST-KFUPM Special Initiative