Revising and Validating Spectral Irradiance Reference Standards for Photovoltaic Performance Evaluation

Myers, D.; Emery, Keith; Gueymard, C.

doi:10.1115/1.1638784

Cited by 64 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…41 The international community has not yet agreed on which spectrum should be used for concentrator cell measurements, so concentrator cell efficiencies found in the literature may use any of these spectra (including the global spectra). In the future, the G173 global and direct spectra may be used for 1 sun and concentrator measurements, respectively.…”

Section: Reference Spectramentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of theoretical efficiencies of multi‐junction concentrator solar cells

Kurtz

Myers

McMahon

et al. 2008

Progress in Photovoltaics

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Champion concentrator cell efficiencies have surpassed 40% and now many are asking whether the efficiencies will surpass 50%. Theoretical efficiencies of >60% are described for many approaches, but there is often confusion about ''the'' theoretical efficiency for a specific structure. The detailed balance approach to calculating theoretical efficiency gives an upper bound that can be independent of material parameters and device design. Other models predict efficiencies that are closer to those that have been achieved. Changing reference spectra and the choice of concentration further complicate comparison of theoretical efficiencies. This paper provides a side-by-side comparison of theoretical efficiencies of multijunction solar cells calculated with the detailed balance approach and a common one-dimensional-transport model for different spectral and irradiance conditions. Also, historical experimental champion efficiencies are compared with the theoretical efficiencies. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. INTRODUCTIONAs the world's interest in renewable energy has increased, the investment in solar has also grown. New approaches to achieving high efficiencies have been proposed by numerous groups. Sometimes these new approaches are described as having a theoretical efficiency >60%. Will these new cells be superior to today's cells, which have now surpassed 40%? 1 Predicting the answer to this question requires two steps: (1) when comparing the theoretical efficiencies of existing and new approaches, the same methodology must be used for both, and (2) an assessment should be made of how close the experimental efficiency may, ultimately, approach the theoretical efficiency for each case. The first step is obvious, but is often neglected, resulting in comparison of numbers that were derived in different ways. When making such comparisons, the choice of the methodology is much less important than the consistency of the methodology. The second step is aided by a review of the efficiencies that have been achieved so far.Over the years, many studies have presented theoretical multi-junction solar cell efficiencies as a function of the materials' band gaps. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] In general, no two studies use exactly the same assumptions, resulting in a range of theoretical efficiencies. The efficiencies are especially dependent on the conditions (spectrum, concentration, and temperature). Concentrating the sunlight to the maximum value ($46 000 suns) results in theoretical efficiencies 10-20% (absolute) higher than the corresponding one-sun efficiencies. 4 Changing the spectrum has a smaller effect (typically 1-4% absolute). 17 The choice of the theoretical model, or assumptions used in the model, also affects the calculated efficiency. Marti et al. compared two of the most common models. 18 They defined a ''standard'' model using Shockley's diode equation, modeling a one-dimensional p-n junction with appropriate values for surface recombination, layer thicknesses, etc. They co...

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Section: Reference Spectramentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of theoretical efficiencies of multi‐junction concentrator solar cells

Kurtz

Myers

McMahon

et al. 2008

Progress in Photovoltaics

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“…It evaluates the spectrum at 2002 wavelengths between 0.28 and 4 µm and includes optional calculations such as the CSI or the simulation of spectroradiometers. The model has been extensively [26,27,34,63,69,87] and has generated reference spectra for the PV industry [28], which eventually became standardized (see next section).…”

Section: Spectral Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar Resource for High-Concentrator Photovoltaic Applications

Ruiz‐Arias

Gueymard²

2015

High Concentrator Photovoltaics

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Direct solar radiation is the main fuel for concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technologies. At any instant, the magnitude and spectral distribution of incoming direct normal irradiance (DNI) on the concentrator determines the instantaneous power produced by the generator. On a seasonal or mean annual basis, the magnitude of the DNI resource also directly affects the design of the whole system. Therefore, detailed knowledge of the available solar resourceessentially in terms of broadband DNI-is required at the system's design stage to evaluate the anticipated power to be produced by the projected CPV plant. This chapter is devoted to providing a better understanding of the current methods used in solar resource assessment to accommodate the specific needs of CPV projects. To this aim, the chapter starts with an introductory discussion on extraterrestrial solar radiation and its transfer throughout the Earth's atmosphere. Later on, the most common solar radiation modelling approaches for solar energy applications are discussed preceding a brief review of the best current measuring techniques and data quality-control methods for solar radiation. This includes important measurement recommendations for CPV applications. The chapter ends with brief discussions on spectral and circumsolar solar radiation.

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“…Detailed historical and technical descriptions of the development of the reference spectral distributions are provided in [5,6,9,10]. Here we relate the basis of the most important considerations with respect to the applications of these reference spectra.…”

Section: Reference Terrestrial Spectramentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These results eliminate the need for normalization to "1-sun" of 1 kW/m 2 for flat plates, (see [1,5,6]) and are within 6% of the Photovoltaic for Utility Scale Applications, or PVUSA-specified test condition irradiance of 850 W/m 2 for concentrating systems utilizing direct beam irradiance [17].…”

Section: Atmospheric Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These spectra were based upon older (1980 vintage) spectral solar radiation models [3] and information on atmospheric profiles that were no longer current or up-to-date [4]. Discussion of important issues concerning the definition of atmospheric parameters, spectral range, accuracy, and resolution, and documentation within the consensus standards community, particularly the ASTM committees E44 on Solar, Geothermal, and Alternative Energy, and G03 on Weathering and Durability of the standards resulted in proposed substantial improvements to meet the current and future needs of the various technologies utilizing the reference spectra [5,6]. In 2008 the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) addressed updating the reference spectra for terrestrial PV devices to (almost) be in harmony with the new ASTM reference spectra.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Review of Consensus Standard Spectra for Flat Plate and Concentrating Photovoltaic Performance

Myers¹

2011

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Revising and Validating Spectral Irradiance Reference Standards for Photovoltaic Performance Evaluation

Cited by 64 publications

References 27 publications

A comparison of theoretical efficiencies of multi‐junction concentrator solar cells

A comparison of theoretical efficiencies of multi‐junction concentrator solar cells

Solar Resource for High-Concentrator Photovoltaic Applications

Review of Consensus Standard Spectra for Flat Plate and Concentrating Photovoltaic Performance

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