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where u, v, and m are respectively the ultimate efficiency factor, the ratio of open-circuit voltage V op to band-gap voltage V g, and the impedance matching factor (all discussed above), and V c is the thermal voltage, and V s is the voltage equivalent of the temperature of the Sun. Letting t s be 1, and using the values mentioned above of 44% ...
This efficiency limit of ~34% can be exceeded by multijunction solar cells. If one has a source of heat at temperature T s and cooler heat sink at temperature T c, the maximum theoretically possible value for the ratio of work (or electric power) obtained to heat supplied is 1-T c /T s, given by a Carnot heat engine.
PV systems in general operate at lower efficiency as the temperature increases, and in TPV systems, keeping the photovoltaic cool is a significant challenge. [ 7 ] This contrasts with a somewhat related concept, the "thermoradiative" or "negative emission" cells, in which the photodiode is on the hot side of the heat engine.
Thermodynamic efficiency limit is the absolute maximum theoretically possible conversion efficiency of sunlight to electricity. Its value is about 86%, which is the Chambadal-Novikov efficiency , an approximation related to the Carnot limit , based on the temperature of the photons emitted by the Sun's surface.
For most crystalline silicon solar cells the change in V OC with temperature is about −0.50%/°C, though the rate for the highest-efficiency crystalline silicon cells is around −0.35%/°C. By way of comparison, the rate for amorphous silicon solar cells is −0.20 to −0.30%/°C, depending on how the cell is made.
For the sun's photon distribution spectrum, the Shockley-Queisser limit indicates that the maximum solar conversion efficiency occurs in a material with a band gap of 1.34 eV. However, materials with lower band gaps will be better suited to generate electricity from lower-energy photons (and vice versa).
The maximum theoretical efficiency is 37, 50, 56, 72% for 1, 2, 3, 36 additional pn junctions, respectively, with the number of junctions increasing exponentially to achieve equal efficiency increments. [24] The exponential relationship implies that as the cell approaches the limit of efficiency, the increase cost and complexity grow rapidly.
As a thermal energy generating power station, CSP has more in common with thermal power stations such as coal, gas, or geothermal. A CSP plant can incorporate thermal energy storage, which stores energy either in the form of sensible heat or as latent heat (for example, using molten salt), which enables these plants to continue supplying electricity whenever it is needed, day or night. [11]