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Comparative study of cadmium telluride solar cell performance on different TCO‐coated substrates under concentrated light intensities
Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications
Swansea University Authors:
Rose Davis, Ochai Oklobia, Stuart Irvine, Dan Lamb
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© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0).
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DOI (Published version): 10.1002/pip.3836
Abstract
Concentrating photovoltaics is an attractive route for achieving high power output with thin film solar cells, using low-cost optics. In this work, the performance of CdTe:As thin film solar cells on two different transparent conducting oxide (TCO)-coated substrates is investigated and compared unde...
| Published in: | Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications |
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| ISSN: | 1062-7995 1099-159X |
| Published: |
Wiley
2024
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68054 |
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| Abstract: |
Concentrating photovoltaics is an attractive route for achieving high power output with thin film solar cells, using low-cost optics. In this work, the performance of CdTe:As thin film solar cells on two different transparent conducting oxide (TCO)-coated substrates is investigated and compared under varying concentrated light intensities (1–6.3 Suns). Samples tested had CdZnS/CdTe:As devices deposited atop of either a soda-lime glass with a fluorine-doped tin oxide TCO or an ultra-thin glass (UTG) with an aluminium zinc oxide TCO and ZnO high-resistive transparent (HRT) layer. Device current density was found to increase linearly with increased light intensities, for both sample configurations. Power conversion efficiencies of both device samples decreased with increased light intensity, due to a decrease in fill factor. The fill factor, for both sample configurations, was affected by reducing shunt resistance with increasing illumination intensity. The two device types performed differently at the high illumination intensities due to their series resistance. Light-soaking devices under 6.3 Suns illumination intensity for 90 min showed no significant performance degradation, indicative of relatively stable devices under the highest illumination intensity tested. Efficiency limiting factors are assessed, evaluated and discussed. |
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| Keywords: |
CdTe:As, concentrated light intensity, concentrated photovoltaic, solar cells, thin films, ZnO HRT layer |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
The authors would like to acknowledge the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) for funding the 2nd Solar Photovoltaic Academic Research Consortium (SPARC II). The authors would also like to acknowledge funding by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), United Kingdom via the grant EP/W000555/1. |