Model-Chain Validation for Estimating the Energy Yield of Bifacial Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells

The power conversion efficiency of conventional silicon solar cells approaches its theoretical limit. Bifacial operation and the perovskite/silicon tandem device architecture are promising approaches for increasing the energy yield of photovoltaic modules. Here, an energy yield calculation tool for (bifacial) perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells is presented. It uses a chain of models for irradiance, optical absorption, and temperature-dependent electrical performance. Each step is validated with irradiance and performance data from a rooftop installation with mono- and bifacial silicon solar cells in Jerusalem, Israel. Selecting the data for two days (one in summer, one in winter) and considering the high-reflective ground of this particular installation (albedo 60%) a 20% increased energy yield for a bifacial module with respect to a monofacial module is modeled. This result matches well with experimental data. When upgrading the silicon solar cell to a perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell, the case study predicts up to 40% additional energy yield. Combining the concepts of bifacial solar operation and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells results in up to 60% increased energy with a high albedo ground, and is therefore a promising approach to further decrease the levelized cost of electricity for photovoltaic electricity generation.

Automated summary

This paper presents an energy yield calculation tool for (bifacial) perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, validating each step with real-world data. The study finds that a bifacial module can achieve a 20% increase in energy yield compared to a monofacial module, and upgrading to a perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell can potentially result in an additional 40% energy yield.