Neutral-colored transparent solar cells with radiative cooling and wide-angle anti-reflection

Abstract

Transparent solar cells (TSCs) can be used in systems where conventional opaque solar cells cannot be applied, such as in the glass windows of buildings and sunroofs of vehicles. Although extensive research is being conducted on the development of TSCs, some critical limitations remain, including low power conversion efficiency (PCE), reduction in PCE with changes in the angle of incidence of light, and temperature increase in the TSC. In this study, we address these critical issues by selectively applying microscale inverted-pyramidal-structured polydimethylsiloxane to the TSC. As a result, we develop crystalline silicon-based glass-like TSCs with a PCE of 15.8% (at an average visible transmittance of 20%). Furthermore, due to the wide-angle anti-reflection effects, this system maintains a PCE retention of 96% even at an incident angle of 50°, and the film demonstrates a radiative cooling effect that can reduce temperatures of the TSC by up to 16°C.