Simulated potential for enhanced performance of mechanically stacked hybrid III–V/Si tandem photovoltaic modules using DC–DC converters

Sara MacAlpine; David C. Bobela; Sarah Kurtz; Matthew P. Lumb; Kenneth J. Schmieder; James E. Moore; Robert J. Walters; Kirstin Alberi

doi:10.1117/1.JPE.7.042501

1 November 2017 Simulated potential for enhanced performance of mechanically stacked hybrid III–V/Si tandem photovoltaic modules using DC–DC converters

Sara MacAlpine, David C. Bobela, Sarah Kurtz, Matthew P. Lumb, Kenneth J. Schmieder, James E. Moore, Robert J. Walters, Kirstin Alberi

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Photonics for Energy, Vol. 7, Issue 4, 042501 (November 2017). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.7.042501

Abstract

This work examines a tandem module design with GaInP2 mechanically stacked on top of crystalline Si, using a detailed photovoltaic (PV) system model to simulate four-terminal (4T) unconstrained and two-terminal voltage-matched (2T VM) parallel architectures. Module-level power electronics is proposed for the 2T VM module design to enhance its performance over the breadth of temperatures experienced by a typical PV installation. Annual, hourly simulations of various scenarios indicate that this design can reduce annual energy losses to ∼0.5% relative to the 4T module configuration. Consideration is given to both performance and practical design for building or ground mount installations, emphasizing compatibility with existing standard Si modules.

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Sara MacAlpine, David C. Bobela, Sarah Kurtz, Matthew P. Lumb, Kenneth J. Schmieder, James E. Moore, Robert J. Walters, and Kirstin Alberi "Simulated potential for enhanced performance of mechanically stacked hybrid III–V/Si tandem photovoltaic modules using DC–DC converters," Journal of Photonics for Energy 7(4), 042501 (1 November 2017). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.7.042501

Received: 6 July 2017; Accepted: 5 October 2017; Published: 1 November 2017

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