Four-terminal organic solar cell modules with increased annual energy yield

Robert Gehlhaar; David Cheyns; Luuk Van Willigenburg; Afshin Hadipour; Jan Gilot; Roshanak Radbeh; Tom Aernouts

doi:10.1117/12.2024023

17 October 2013 Four-terminal organic solar cell modules with increased annual energy yield

Robert Gehlhaar, David Cheyns, Luuk Van Willigenburg, Afshin Hadipour, Jan Gilot, Roshanak Radbeh, Tom Aernouts

Proceedings Volume 8830, Organic Photovoltaics XIV; 88300I (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2024023
Event: SPIE Organic Photonics + Electronics, 2013, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The authors present experimental results on mechanically stacked organic solar modules and their advantage over standard tandem architectures. A four-terminal configuration of two single junction modules with complementary absorbing active layers uses the more efficient energy conversion of a tandem structure without the necessity of matching currents or voltages of electrically connected subcells. The presented combination of semitransparent and opaque solar cells consists of solution processed polymer-fullerene blends as active materials. A cost-effective mechanical scribing process is applied for the patterning of the deposited layers. The best devices have an efficiency of over 6.5% on an aperture area of 16 cm² which equals a gain of 30% over the best single junction module fabricated by the same process. Optical simulations demonstrate a 32% increased annual energy output of a mechanically stacked device in comparison to a monolithic tandem structure using an equivalent geometry.

Citation Download Citation

Robert Gehlhaar, David Cheyns, Luuk Van Willigenburg, Afshin Hadipour, Jan Gilot, Roshanak Radbeh, and Tom Aernouts "Four-terminal organic solar cell modules with increased annual energy yield", Proc. SPIE 8830, Organic Photovoltaics XIV, 88300I (17 October 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2024023

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