Bifacial Diffuse Absorptance of Semitransparent Microstructured Perovskite Solar Cells

Area of Science:

• Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy
• Optical Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Bifacial solar cells offer enhanced energy generation by capturing light from both sides.
• Semitransparent perovskite solar cells are promising for building-integrated photovoltaics.
• Understanding light absorption in microstructured solar cells is crucial for optimizing performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the bifacial diffuse absorptance of microstructured semitransparent perovskite solar cells.
• To compare light absorption characteristics between microstructured and continuous perovskite thin films.
• To explore the role of surface texture and light trapping in absorptance.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of an optical radiometry technique for simultaneous transmittance and reflectance measurements.
• Characterization of neutral-colored semitransparent perovskite solar cells with microsized perovskite islands.
• Analysis using ray-optic approximation to relate experimental findings to surface texture.

Main Results:

• Microstructured perovskite solar cells demonstrated more effective absorption of diffuse irradiance compared to direct irradiance at near-normal incidence.
• Reference solar cells with a continuous perovskite thin film showed different absorption characteristics.
• The surface texture of the active layer significantly influences light trapping and overall absorptance.

Conclusions:

• The developed absorptance spectroscopy technique is suitable for analyzing bifacial solar cells.
• Microstructuring enhances diffuse light absorption in perovskite solar cells, offering advantages for bifacial applications.
• This research contributes to the advancement of light-harvesting systems for building-integrated photovoltaics.