Infra-red reflective coverglasses: the next generation

Reflective Back Contacts for Ultrathin Cu(In,Ga)Se2-Based Solar Cells

“…It is also worth mentioning that the calculated total reflection of solar cells is increased in the infrared region when using a reflective back contact instead of Mo. Firstly, the higher reflection of photons with energy below the CIGS bandgap reduces the operating temperature of CIGS solar cells and has a positive impact on the efficiency and reliability of devices [14]- [18]. Secondly, light absorption in CIGS could be further improved for photon energies above the bandgap by using an additional anti-reflection coating and light trapping structures, for example with a nanostructured back mirror [8], [12], [24].…”

“…Replacing Mo with a highly reflective back contact not only increases absorption in the CIGS layer, but it also decreases absorption of photons below the CIGS bandgap in the back contact. It results in a lower operating temperature for solar cells [14]- [17], which boosts the efficiency [18] and may improve the reliability of CIGS solar cells.…”

A New UVR/IRR Coverglass for Triple Junction Cells

“…Once this had been achieved the cell efficiency was modelled using an effective energy balance model as in equation 2. Reference [1], [2], [3]. For a solar cell in steady state equilibrium the operating temperature is determined by the incident solar radiation, heat lost through radiation and the cell output.…”

Interface engineering of ultrathin Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells on reflective back contacts

“…As numerical calculations indicate that the integration of a highly reflective back mirror is a prerequisite for efficient light trapping in ultrathin solar cells, 6,11 various back contact architectures have been investigated in order to enhance absorption in ultrathin CIGS layers 10–15 . In addition, using a highly reflective back contact (RBC) could increase not only the J SC of the solar cells but also the reflection of infrared photons with energies below the bandgap of CIGS, resulting in a lower operating temperature of devices and an increased efficiency 16–18 . Avoiding high operating temperatures could improve the reliability of CIGS devices.…”

“…[10][11][12][13][14][15] In addition, using a highly reflective back contact (RBC) could increase not only the J SC of the solar cells but also the reflection of infrared photons with energies below the bandgap of CIGS, resulting in a lower operating temperature of devices and an increased efficiency. [16][17][18] Avoiding high operating temperatures could improve the reliability of CIGS devices.…”