Mariana I. Bertoni | Searcharxiv

arXiv2023

A general illumination method to predict bifacial photovoltaic system performance

Bifacial photovoltaic technologies are estimated to supply >16% of global energy demand by 2050 to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. However, the current IEC bifacial measurement standard (IEC 60904-1-2) does not provide a pathway to account for the critical effects of spectral or broadband albedo on the rear-side irradiance, with in-lab characterization of bifacial devices limited by overestimation of rear incident irradiance, neglecting spectral albedo effects on the rear, or both. As a result, prior reports have limited applicability to the diverse landscapes of bifacial photovoltaic deployments. In this paper, we identify a general bifacial illumination method which accounts for spectral albedo while representing realistic system operating conditions, referred to as the scaled rear irradiance (SRI) method. We describe how the SRI method extends the IEC standard, facilitating indoor testing of cell or module performance under varied albedo with standard solar simulator set-ups. This enables improved comparisons of bifacial technologies, application-specific optimization, and the standardization of bifacial module power ratings.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

From Femtoseconds to Gigaseconds: The SolDeg Platform for the Performance Degradation Analysis of Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Heterojunction Si solar cells exhibit notable performance degradation. We developed the SolDeg platform to model this degradation as electronic defects getting generated by thermal activation across energy barriers over time. First, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to create a-Si/c-Si stacks, using a machine-learning-based Gaussian approximation potential. Second, we created shocked clusters by a cluster blaster. Third, the shocked clusters were analyzed to identify which of them supported electronic defects. Fourth, the distribution of energy barriers that control the generation of these electronic defects was determined. Fifth, an accelerated Monte Carlo method was developed to simulate the thermally activated time dependent defect generation across the barriers. Our main conclusions are as follows. (1) The degradation of a-Si/c-Si stacks via defect generation is controlled by a broad distribution of energy barriers. (2) We developed the SolDeg platform to track the microscopic dynamics of defect generation across this wide barrier distribution, and determined the time dependent defect density $N(t)$ from femtoseconds to gigaseconds, over 24 orders of magnitude in time. (3) We have shown that a stretched exponential analytical form can successfully describe the defect generation $N(t)$. (4) We found that in relative terms $V_\mathrm{oc}$ degrades at a rate of 0.2%/year over the first year, slowing with advancing time. (5) We developed the Time Correspondence Curve to calibrate and validate the accelerated testing of solar cells. We found a compellingly simple scaling relationship between accelerated and normal times $t_\mathrm{accelerated} \propto t_\mathrm{normal}^{0.85}$. (6) We ourselves carried out experimental studies of defect generation in a-Si:H/c-Si stacks. We found a relatively high degradation rate at early times, that slowed considerably at longer time scales.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗