No Cover Image

Journal article 274 views 121 downloads

Thermodynamic principles for optimizing multi-junction photovoltaics—Exemplified for perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics

Austin M. Kay Orcid Logo, Drew Riley Orcid Logo, Gregory Burwell Orcid Logo, Paul Meredith Orcid Logo

APL Energy, Volume: 3, Issue: 3

Swansea University Authors: Drew Riley Orcid Logo, Gregory Burwell Orcid Logo, Paul Meredith Orcid Logo

  • 69919.VOR.pdf

    PDF | Version of Record

    © 2025 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

    Download (5.11MB)

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.1063/5.0266374

Abstract

Multi-junction architectures are utilized in photovoltaic (PV) technology to widen spectral range, increase voltage and/or current, and hence deliver higher overall power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). However, accurate approaches for simulating multi-junction PVs using the electro-optical properti...

Full description

Published in: APL Energy
ISSN: 2770-9000
Published: AIP Publishing 2025
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69919
first_indexed 2025-07-08T14:24:28Z
last_indexed 2025-09-05T06:12:08Z
id cronfa69919
recordtype SURis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807 xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><datestamp>2025-09-04T12:30:30.6126307</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>69919</id><entry>2025-07-08</entry><title>Thermodynamic principles for optimizing multi-junction photovoltaics&#x2014;Exemplified for perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>edca1c48f922393fa2b3cb84d8dc0e4a</sid><ORCID>0000-0001-6688-0694</ORCID><firstname>Drew</firstname><surname>Riley</surname><name>Drew Riley</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>49890fbfbe127d4ae94bc10dc2b24199</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-2534-9626</ORCID><firstname>Gregory</firstname><surname>Burwell</surname><name>Gregory Burwell</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>31e8fe57fa180d418afd48c3af280c2e</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-9049-7414</ORCID><firstname>Paul</firstname><surname>Meredith</surname><name>Paul Meredith</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-07-08</date><deptcode>BGPS</deptcode><abstract>Multi-junction architectures are utilized in photovoltaic (PV) technology to widen spectral range, increase voltage and/or current, and hence deliver higher overall power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). However, accurate approaches for simulating multi-junction PVs using the electro-optical properties of real materials are somewhat scarce&#x2014;particularly in the context of novel applications such as indoor PVs, where the illumination spectrum differs from natural sunlight. Herein, we present a robust methodology&#x2014;alongside an open-source simulation tool&#x2014;for modeling multi-junction PVs while accounting for intrinsic PV features, including sub-gap absorption, band-filling effects, and radiative couplings between junctions. Although we primarily focus our investigation on perovskite-based multi-junction devices, our approach is extendable to any class of PV material. We apply it in the context of indoor PVs by assuming the LED-B4 spectrum as a representative light source. At a typical illuminance of 1000 lux, we find that PCEs above 60% are possible by combining a 2.1 eV wide-gap top cell with a 1.0&#x2013;2.0 eV narrow-gap bottom cell, meaning that a suitable wide-gap semiconductor could be coupled with almost any conventional solar cell to achieve high performance. Using the spectral responses of real PV devices, we then predict optimal material configurations under LED-B4 illumination, before probing the spectral versatility of these devices under a variety of indoor light sources and intensities. We find that the maximum power point voltage is mostly independent of light source, while PCE is more sensitive due to changes in current density, which provides insight into how laboratory-optimized devices may perform in realistic scenarios.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>APL Energy</journal><volume>3</volume><journalNumber>3</journalNumber><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher>AIP Publishing</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic>2770-9000</issnElectronic><keywords>Electrical properties and parameters, Quantum efficiency, Photovoltaics, Solar cell efficiency, Perovskites, Maximum power point tracking, Equilibrium thermodynamics, Photoconductivity, Semiconductor materials, Thermodynamic limit</keywords><publishedDay>1</publishedDay><publishedMonth>9</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-09-01</publishedDate><doi>10.1063/5.0266374</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Biosciences Geography and Physics School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>BGPS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal)</apcterm><funders>This work was funded by the UKRI through the EPSRC Program Grant No. EP/T028513/1 Application Targeted and Integrated Photovoltaics and the UKRI Research England RPIF Programme (Center for Integrative Semiconductor Materials). This work was also supported through the Welsh Government&#x2019;s S&#xEA;r Cymru II Program &#x201C;Sustainable Advanced Materials&#x201D; (Welsh European Funding Office&#x2014;European Regional Development Fund). P.M. is a S&#xEA;r Cymru II Research Chair.</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2025-09-04T12:30:30.6126307</lastEdited><Created>2025-07-08T15:16:47.0343880</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Physics</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Austin M.</firstname><surname>Kay</surname><orcid>0000-0002-9126-5340</orcid><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Drew</firstname><surname>Riley</surname><orcid>0000-0001-6688-0694</orcid><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Gregory</firstname><surname>Burwell</surname><orcid>0000-0002-2534-9626</orcid><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Paul</firstname><surname>Meredith</surname><orcid>0000-0002-9049-7414</orcid><order>4</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>69919__34704__c220bbc9b344407ba617072553fcabb2.pdf</filename><originalFilename>69919.VOR.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2025-07-08T15:23:36.1791331</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>5360695</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>&#xA9; 2025 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs><OutputDur><Id>329</Id><DataControllerName>Austin M Kay</DataControllerName><IsDataAvailableOnline>true</IsDataAvailableOnline><DataNotAvailableOnlineReasonId xsi:nil="true"/><DurUrl>https://github.com/Austin-M-Kay/Data</DurUrl><IsDurRestrictions>false</IsDurRestrictions><DurRestrictionReasonId xsi:nil="true"/><DurEmbargoDate xsi:nil="true"/></OutputDur></OutputDurs></rfc1807>
spelling 2025-09-04T12:30:30.6126307 v2 69919 2025-07-08 Thermodynamic principles for optimizing multi-junction photovoltaics—Exemplified for perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics edca1c48f922393fa2b3cb84d8dc0e4a 0000-0001-6688-0694 Drew Riley Drew Riley true false 49890fbfbe127d4ae94bc10dc2b24199 0000-0002-2534-9626 Gregory Burwell Gregory Burwell true false 31e8fe57fa180d418afd48c3af280c2e 0000-0002-9049-7414 Paul Meredith Paul Meredith true false 2025-07-08 BGPS Multi-junction architectures are utilized in photovoltaic (PV) technology to widen spectral range, increase voltage and/or current, and hence deliver higher overall power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). However, accurate approaches for simulating multi-junction PVs using the electro-optical properties of real materials are somewhat scarce—particularly in the context of novel applications such as indoor PVs, where the illumination spectrum differs from natural sunlight. Herein, we present a robust methodology—alongside an open-source simulation tool—for modeling multi-junction PVs while accounting for intrinsic PV features, including sub-gap absorption, band-filling effects, and radiative couplings between junctions. Although we primarily focus our investigation on perovskite-based multi-junction devices, our approach is extendable to any class of PV material. We apply it in the context of indoor PVs by assuming the LED-B4 spectrum as a representative light source. At a typical illuminance of 1000 lux, we find that PCEs above 60% are possible by combining a 2.1 eV wide-gap top cell with a 1.0–2.0 eV narrow-gap bottom cell, meaning that a suitable wide-gap semiconductor could be coupled with almost any conventional solar cell to achieve high performance. Using the spectral responses of real PV devices, we then predict optimal material configurations under LED-B4 illumination, before probing the spectral versatility of these devices under a variety of indoor light sources and intensities. We find that the maximum power point voltage is mostly independent of light source, while PCE is more sensitive due to changes in current density, which provides insight into how laboratory-optimized devices may perform in realistic scenarios. Journal Article APL Energy 3 3 AIP Publishing 2770-9000 Electrical properties and parameters, Quantum efficiency, Photovoltaics, Solar cell efficiency, Perovskites, Maximum power point tracking, Equilibrium thermodynamics, Photoconductivity, Semiconductor materials, Thermodynamic limit 1 9 2025 2025-09-01 10.1063/5.0266374 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) This work was funded by the UKRI through the EPSRC Program Grant No. EP/T028513/1 Application Targeted and Integrated Photovoltaics and the UKRI Research England RPIF Programme (Center for Integrative Semiconductor Materials). This work was also supported through the Welsh Government’s Sêr Cymru II Program “Sustainable Advanced Materials” (Welsh European Funding Office—European Regional Development Fund). P.M. is a Sêr Cymru II Research Chair. 2025-09-04T12:30:30.6126307 2025-07-08T15:16:47.0343880 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Physics Austin M. Kay 0000-0002-9126-5340 1 Drew Riley 0000-0001-6688-0694 2 Gregory Burwell 0000-0002-2534-9626 3 Paul Meredith 0000-0002-9049-7414 4 69919__34704__c220bbc9b344407ba617072553fcabb2.pdf 69919.VOR.pdf 2025-07-08T15:23:36.1791331 Output 5360695 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2025 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 329 Austin M Kay true https://github.com/Austin-M-Kay/Data false
title Thermodynamic principles for optimizing multi-junction photovoltaics—Exemplified for perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics
spellingShingle Thermodynamic principles for optimizing multi-junction photovoltaics—Exemplified for perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics
Drew Riley
Gregory Burwell
Paul Meredith
title_short Thermodynamic principles for optimizing multi-junction photovoltaics—Exemplified for perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics
title_full Thermodynamic principles for optimizing multi-junction photovoltaics—Exemplified for perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics
title_fullStr Thermodynamic principles for optimizing multi-junction photovoltaics—Exemplified for perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics
title_full_unstemmed Thermodynamic principles for optimizing multi-junction photovoltaics—Exemplified for perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics
title_sort Thermodynamic principles for optimizing multi-junction photovoltaics—Exemplified for perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics
author_id_str_mv edca1c48f922393fa2b3cb84d8dc0e4a
49890fbfbe127d4ae94bc10dc2b24199
31e8fe57fa180d418afd48c3af280c2e
author_id_fullname_str_mv edca1c48f922393fa2b3cb84d8dc0e4a_***_Drew Riley
49890fbfbe127d4ae94bc10dc2b24199_***_Gregory Burwell
31e8fe57fa180d418afd48c3af280c2e_***_Paul Meredith
author Drew Riley
Gregory Burwell
Paul Meredith
author2 Austin M. Kay
Drew Riley
Gregory Burwell
Paul Meredith
format Journal article
container_title APL Energy
container_volume 3
container_issue 3
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
issn 2770-9000
doi_str_mv 10.1063/5.0266374
publisher AIP Publishing
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Physics{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Physics
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Multi-junction architectures are utilized in photovoltaic (PV) technology to widen spectral range, increase voltage and/or current, and hence deliver higher overall power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). However, accurate approaches for simulating multi-junction PVs using the electro-optical properties of real materials are somewhat scarce—particularly in the context of novel applications such as indoor PVs, where the illumination spectrum differs from natural sunlight. Herein, we present a robust methodology—alongside an open-source simulation tool—for modeling multi-junction PVs while accounting for intrinsic PV features, including sub-gap absorption, band-filling effects, and radiative couplings between junctions. Although we primarily focus our investigation on perovskite-based multi-junction devices, our approach is extendable to any class of PV material. We apply it in the context of indoor PVs by assuming the LED-B4 spectrum as a representative light source. At a typical illuminance of 1000 lux, we find that PCEs above 60% are possible by combining a 2.1 eV wide-gap top cell with a 1.0–2.0 eV narrow-gap bottom cell, meaning that a suitable wide-gap semiconductor could be coupled with almost any conventional solar cell to achieve high performance. Using the spectral responses of real PV devices, we then predict optimal material configurations under LED-B4 illumination, before probing the spectral versatility of these devices under a variety of indoor light sources and intensities. We find that the maximum power point voltage is mostly independent of light source, while PCE is more sensitive due to changes in current density, which provides insight into how laboratory-optimized devices may perform in realistic scenarios.
published_date 2025-09-01T05:23:36Z
_version_ 1851731756370100224
score 11.090464

Similar Items