The quest for optimal perovskite for tandem cell configurations is challenging as it involves several factors ranging from device level performance under field conditions to degradation rates and cost. Recent work from Prof. Nair’s group highlights the limitations of traditional detailed balance or Shockley-Queisser (SQ) analysis towards the design of Perovskite/Silicon tandem solar cells. Through well-calibrated numerical simulations, this work reports geographic location-specific annual energy yield (EY) and quantify the influence of temperature-dependent material and transport parameters. The results indicate that the EY scales in a near-identical manner with the top cell band gap (E_gT) for various geographic locations. In comparison to SQ analysis, Prof. Nair’s group predicts a significant relaxation in the target degradation rates at which perovskites over a broad range of band gaps could yield a comparable levelized cost of Energy (LCOE). These insights are of broad interest for the development of perovskite materials and test protocols to evaluate the stability of Perovskite-Silicon tandem solar cells. The work was done by PhD student Karthik Raitani working under Prof. Pradeep R. Nair
Energy yield estimates for Perovskite-Silicon 2-Terminal Tandem Solar cells from various geographical locations. These estimates are based on location specific incident spectra and ambient conditions. The EY is estimated through numerical simulations with temperature dependent refractive indices and carrier transport (Karthik Raitani and Pradeep R. Nair, under review).