Current-matching erases the anticipated performance gain of next-generation two-terminal Perovskite-Si tandem solar farms

The bifacial gain of various optimally-tilted, and tracking bifacial farms based on single-junction PERC and HIT technologies are well established. The solar module technology is, however, evolving rapidly with the com-mercial development of two, three, and four-terminal mono and bifacial HIT-Perovskite tandem cells underway. Given the complexity of current-matching in two-terminal tandem cells and significant variation of the weather conditions across the world, one wonders if the benefits of fixed-tilt and tracking cells obtained for single -junction solar cells would remain for tandem solar cells. In this paper, we use a detailed illumination and temperature-dependent bifacial solar farm model (supported by a detailed physical model for bifacial HIT-Perovskite tandem cells) to show that (a) row-to-row shading in solar arrays significantly suppresses the effec-tive albedo collection and thereby the two-terminal (2T) tandem cell efficiency and relative gain compared to an optimal bifacial HIT cell, (b) the global energy yield potential of fixed-tilted and solar-tracking topologies would improve by adopting a 2T tandem design at optimal albedo, with maximum gain arising for tracking farms, (c) the 2T tandem cell/modules (subcell bandgaps, thickness) must be optimized for maximum benefit, and (d) even a relatively small deviation from the optimum will negate all benefits. Our results will broaden the scope and understanding of the emerging tandem bifacial technology by demonstrating global trends in energy gain for worldwide deployment and the need for location-specific tailoring of the module design.

Automated summary

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the energy gain and module design requirements of bifacial HIT-Perovskite tandem cells in globally deployed solar farms. The results show that row-to-row shading significantly affects the efficiency and relative gain of two-terminal tandem cells, and that optimal albedo and design optimization are crucial for maximizing the energy yield potential of fixed-tilt and solar-tracking systems.