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Nonequal current generation in the cells of a photovoltaic module, e.g., due to partial shading, leads to operation in reverse bias. This quickly causes a significant efficiency loss in perovskite solar cells. We report a more quantitative investigation of the reverse bias degradation. Various small reverse biases (negative voltages) were applied for different durations. After normalizing the applied voltages with the breakdown voltages, we found similar dependences of the reverse bias current and the degradation rate. We draw conclusions regarding possible degradation mechanisms and propose a way to increase the comparability of degradation rates for comparing different perovskite solar cells., Photovoltaic Materials and Devices

Single junction crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells are reaching their practical efficiency limit whereas perovskite/c-Si tandem solar cells have achieved efficiencies above the theoretical limit of single junction c-Si solar cells. Next to low-thermal budget silicon heterojunction architecture, high-thermal budget carrier-selective passivating contacts (CSPCs) based on polycrystalline-SiOx (poly-SiOx) also constitute a promising architecture for high efficiency perovskite/c-Si tandem solar cells. In this work, we present the development of c-Si bottom cells based on high temperature poly-SiOx CSPCs and demonstrate novel high efficiency four-terminal (4T) and two-terminal (2T) perovskite/c-Si tandem solar cells. First, we tuned the ultra-thin, thermally grown SiOx. Then we optimized the passivation properties of p-type and n-type doped poly-SiOx CSPCs. Here, we have optimized the p-type doped poly-SiOx CSPC on textured interfaces via a two-step annealing process. Finally, we integrated such bottom solar cells in both 4T and 2T tandems, achieving 28.1% and 23.2% conversion efficiency, respectively.

Recently perovskite/crystalline Si (cSi) tandem cells draw considerable attention because their high efficiency can reduce the levelized cost of electricity and increase the power density of photovoltaics (PVs) to accelerate the energy transition. While the theoretical limits for tandem cells are well known, the practical limits are less clear. Herein, a new method is presented to calculate the efficiency of a four-terminal (4T) tandem based on the performance of single-junction perovskite and cSi cells, using their detailed-balance efficiency fraction. This calculation method is validated with experiments on 4T perovskite/cSi tandem cells that provide a maximum efficiency of 28.0% and with the literature data available for similar configurations. A maximum efficiency of about 36% is estimated for 4T perovskite/cSi tandem cells that would use present record perovskite and cSi PV cells. This can be regarded as the practical efficiency limit for 4T perovskite/cSi tandem devices.

Improving the performance of solar modules requires the implementation of both spectral and directional irradiance optimization. The performance of bifacial four-terminal tandem minimodules with a 100 cm2 area is reported, both indoor and outdoor measurements. We demonstrate a 24.5 mW/cm2 (bifacial irradiance 200 W/m2) bifacial tandem power density, measured according to a tandem adapted IEC60904-1-2 protocol, which constitutes a 3 mW/cm2 gain with respect to monofacial use. In addition, we show that in outdoor measurements bifacial four terminal tandems outperform identical monofacial four terminal tandems by 26% on average, depending on incident angle, injection level and temperature, in a 10% albedo environment. The average gain is higher for outdoor performance than for indoor performance, due to variations in relative rear irradiance.

We report a cooperative study conducted between different laboratories to investigate organic solar cell degradation with respect to P3HT material properties and different solar cell architectures. Various batches of P3HT were collected from different suppliers reflecting commercial availability as well as properties variability. Among the materials properties explicitly considered were the molar mass, dispersity, regio-regularity, impurities by trace metals and intrinsic doping evaluated from radical concentrations. Each of the participating laboratories contributing test devices applied their own layer stack, i.e. their own device architecture and layout. This variation was appreciated as another parameter for evaluation. Even though a large amount of devices failed due to extrinsic degradation effects, indeed, some materials properties were found to be more important than others for obtaining long lifetimes and high stability of P3HT-based polymer solar cells.

The chemistry of the interface between the metal halide perovskite absorber and the charge transport layer affects the performance and stability of metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The literature provides several examples of poor PSC conversion efficiency values, when electron transport layers (ETLs), such as SnO2 and TiO2, are processed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) directly on the perovskite absorber. In the present work, we shed light on the chemical modifications occurring at the perovskite surface, during ALD processing of SnO2 and TiO2, in parallel with the evaluation of the PSC cell performance. The ALD processes are carried out on a (Cs,FA)Pb(I,Br)3 perovskite by adopting tetrakis(dimethylamino)tin(IV) and tetrakis(dimethylamino)titanium(IV) as metal precursors and H2O as the coreactant for SnO2 and TiO2, respectively. Perovskite surface modification occurs in the form of an ultrathin PbBr2 layer. Furthermore, in the case of SnO2, halogen molecules are detected at the interface, in parallel with the initial growth of an oxygen-deficient SnO2. Subgap defect states just above the valence band maximum of SnO2 are also detected. These states act as hole traps at the perovskite/SnO2 interface, subsequently promoting charge recombination and deteriorating the performance of the cell. We hypothesize that a redox reaction between the perovskite, or its decomposition products, and the Sn metal center of the ALD precursor takes place: I− and Br− are oxidized to I2 and Br2, respectively, and Sn(IV) is reduced to Sn(II). In contrast, the Ti(IV) metal center does not undergo any redox process, and, as a result, a promising 11% power conversion efficiency is measured with TiO2 as the ETL. This result strongly suggests that TiO2 may be a more suitable ETL, when processed directly on the perovskite absorber.

Improving the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells is critical to the deployment of this technology. Despite the great emphasis laid on stability-related investigations, publications lack consistency in experimental procedures and parameters reported. It is therefore challenging to reproduce and compare results and thereby develop a deep understanding of degradation mechanisms. Here, we report a consensus between researchers in the field on procedures for testing perovskite solar cell stability, which are based on the International Summit on Organic Photovoltaic Stability (ISOS) protocols. We propose additional procedures to account for properties specific to PSCs such as ion redistribution under electric fields, reversible degradation and to distinguish ambient-induced degradation from other stress factors. These protocols are not intended as a replacement of the existing qualification standards, but rather they aim to unify the stability assessment and to understand failure modes. Finally, we identify key procedural information which we suggest reporting in publications to improve reproducibility and enable large data set analysis.

Erworben im Rahmen der Schweizer Nationallizenzen (http://www.nationallizenzen.ch), This work is part of the interlaboratory collaboration to study the stability of organic solar cells containing PCDTBT polymer as a donor material. The varieties of the OPV devices with different device architectures, electrode materials, encapsulation, and device dimensions were prepared by seven research laboratories. Sets of identical devices were aged according to four different protocols: shelf lifetime, laboratory weathering under simulated illumination at ambient temperature, laboratory weathering under simulated illumination, and elevated temperature (65°C) and daylight outdoor weathering under sunlight. The results generated in this study allow us to outline several general conclusions related to PCDTBT-based bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. The results herein reported can be considered as practical guidance for the realization of stabilization approaches in BHJ solar cells containing PCDTBT.

We report a cooperative study conducted between different laboratories to investigate organic solar cell degradation with respect to P3HT material properties and different solar cell architectures. Various batches of P3HT were collected from different suppliers reflecting commercial availability as well as properties variability. Among the materials properties explicitly considered were the molar mass, dispersity, regio-regularity, impurities by trace metals and intrinsic doping evaluated from radical concentrations. Each of the participating laboratories contributing test devices applied their own layer stack, i.e. their own device architecture and layout. This variation was appreciated as another parameter for evaluation. Even though a large amount of devices failed due to extrinsic degradation effects, indeed, some materials properties were found to be more important than others for obtaining long lifetimes and high stability of P3HT-based polymer solar cells.

This article presents an innovative and low-cost solution for optimizing the acquisition of performance data of small-laboratory-scale photovoltaic devices. A novel measuring setup is proposed, designed based on an Arduino microcontroller and low-cost components, coupled with open source hardware and software. The manuscript describes in detail the instrument design, components and assembly enabling the reproduction and customization of the instrument for any reader. The setup is combined with an optional web-platform, which enables fast analysis and comparison of the collected data. For the demonstration of the instrument in operation, comparison of measurements of solar cell with the developed setup and commercial products has been conducted. It is shown that the presented prototype provides values of accuracy and precision during I-V curve recording, comparable with the values measured using a commercial source-meter (Keithley 2400). The study also discusses the unique advantages of easy transport and data collection by the setup and the drawbacks in the hardware, which have been observed during a round robin study.