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Efficiency potential and recent activities of high-efficiency solar cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 August 2017

Masafumi Yamaguchi ,
Hiroyuki Yamada ,
Yasuhiro Katsumata ,
Kan-Hua Lee ,
Kenji Araki  and
Nobuaki Kojima
Masafumi Yamaguchi*
Affiliation:
Research Center for Smart Energy Technology, Toyota Technological Institute, Tempaku, Nagoya 468-8511, Japan
Hiroyuki Yamada
Affiliation:
New Energy Technology Department, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, Kawasaki 212-8554, Japan
Yasuhiro Katsumata
Affiliation:
Department of Innovation Research, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Chiyoda, Tokyo 102-0076, Japan
Kan-Hua Lee
Affiliation:
Research Center for Smart Energy Technology, Toyota Technological Institute, Tempaku, Nagoya 468-8511, Japan
Kenji Araki
Affiliation:
Research Center for Smart Energy Technology, Toyota Technological Institute, Tempaku, Nagoya 468-8511, Japan
Nobuaki Kojima
Affiliation:
Research Center for Smart Energy Technology, Toyota Technological Institute, Tempaku, Nagoya 468-8511, Japan
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: masafumi@toyota-ti.ac.jp
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Abstract

The present status of R&D for various types of solar cells is presented by overviewing research and development projects for solar cells in Japan as the PV R&D Project Leader of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). Developments of high-efficiency solar cells such as 44.4% (under concentration) and 37.9% (under 1-sun) InGaP/GaAs/InGaAs 3-junction solar cells by Sharp, 26.6% crystalline Si heterojunction back-contact (HBC) solar cells by Kaneka, 22.3% CIGS solar cells by Solar Frontier have been demonstrated under the NEDO PV R&D Project. 15.0% efficiency has also been attained with 1 cm2 perovskite solar cell by NIMS under the JST Project. This article also presents analytical results for efficiency potential of high-efficiency solar cells based on external radiative efficiency (ERE), open-circuit voltage loss and fill factor loss. Crystalline Si solar cells, GaAs, III–V compound 3-junction and 5-junction, CIGSe, and CdTe solar cells have efficiency potential of 28.5%, 29.7%, 42%, 43%, 26.5%, and 26.5% under 1-sun condition, respectively, by improvements in ERE.

Keywords

photovoltaicsemiconductingdefects
Type
Invited Review
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 32 , Issue 18 , 28 September 2017 , pp. 3445 - 3457
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Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2017 

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Footnotes

Contributing Editor: Sam Zhang

References

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