Impact of Temperature Variation from 300 to 400 K on the Performance of Silicon Solar Cell

Abstract

The solar cell operating at a temperature of around 298 K gives superior performance compared to other temperature ranges. However, variation in sun insolation received due to season and latitude variation changes the temperature drastically, so the performance of solar cells also varies. If the temperature varies above a particular limit, it causes a negative effect on the performance parameters of solar cells. This is due to the fact that intrinsic carrier concentration, band gap E_g and dark saturation current I_o of semiconductor material silicon are highly dependent upon the temperature. Various performance parameters of Silicon solar cells, such as efficiency η, short-circuited current J_sc, open-circuited voltage V_oc, and fill factor FF, depend upon the temperature directly or indirectly. The effect of change in temperature beyond an optimum range, i.e., 300 to 400 K, on the performance of silicon-based solar cells under an AM1.5 spectrum is thoroughly and theoretically examined in the present paper. In this paper, the performance of silicon-based solar cells is examined and evaluated in a temperature range from 300 to 400 K. All these factors decrease with an increase in temperature.