Optical simulation of photovoltaic modules with multiple textured interfaces using the matrix-based formalism OPTOS
Optics Express
|July 14, 2016
Summary
The OPTOS formalism models optical properties of textured sheets, now extended for complex photovoltaic modules. Combining front-side textures with rear-side gratings significantly boosts solar cell absorptance.
Area of Science:
- Optics
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Accurate optical modeling is crucial for enhancing photovoltaic (PV) module efficiency.
- Textured surfaces and advanced structures are employed to manage light within PV devices.
- Existing models may not fully capture the complex interactions in multi-layered, textured PV systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To extend the OPTOS (Optical Properties of Textured Optical Sheets) formalism for modeling systems with multiple textured interfaces.
- To calculate the reflectance and absorptance of complete photovoltaic module stacks.
- To investigate the optical gains achieved by combining different textures on silicon solar cells.
Main Methods:
- Developed a matrix-based system description within the OPTOS formalism to account for optical interactions between all interfaces.
- Applied the extended OPTOS method to model encapsulated silicon solar cells with various textures.
- Calculated reflectance and absorptance for different configurations, including random pyramid front textures and diffractive rear gratings.
- Analyzed the impact of the angle of incidence on the performance of these textured solar cells.
Main Results:
- The extended OPTOS formalism effectively models systems with an arbitrary number of textured, plane-parallel interfaces.
- Photovoltaic modules with a combination of random pyramid front-side texture and a diffractive rear-side grating showed a considerable absorptance gain.
- The observed gain from the rear grating was largely unaffected by changes in the angle of incidence up to 60°.
- The simulation results showed good agreement with alternative optical simulation techniques.
Conclusions:
- The OPTOS formalism is a versatile and efficient method for the optical analysis of photovoltaic modules.
- Combining specific front and rear surface textures can significantly enhance solar cell absorptance.
- The developed method provides a robust tool for optimizing the optical design of next-generation PV devices.
