Publication date: 28th August 2024
The ideal high-bandgap partner for a tandem solar absorber using c-Si as the low-bandgap bottom cell must have a bandgap of 1.6 eV to 1.9 eV and excellent optoelectronic properties.
Selenium, perhaps the very first material to be studied for its photovoltaic properties, is emerging as an interesting candidate for this application. Indeed Se has a bandgap of around 1.95 eV [1] and a steep increase in absorption above this photon energy. Todorov et al showed [2] in 2017 that single-junction Se solar cells could reach 6.5% efficiency using a new cell architecture with a very thin absorber layer. Recently we have increased the OCV to a new record of 991 mV [2] and mapped the main shortfalls of state-of-the-art Se-cells preventing them from approaching their theoretical potential OCV. The talk will introduce Se as a solar absorber and discuss we know about its properties and progress towards use in solar devices such as tandem photovoltaics and PEC stacks [3].
Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF) Grant No. 0217-00333B
Villum Foundation V-SUSTAIN Grant No. 9455