Simulated potential for enhanced performance of mechanically stacked hybrid III–V/Si tandem photovoltaic modules using DC–DC converters

Sara MacAlpine; David C. Bobela; Sarah Kurtz; Matthew P. Lumb; Kenneth J. Schmieder; James E. Moore; Robert J. Walters; Kirstin Alberi

doi:10.1117/1.JPE.7.042501

1 November 2017 Simulated potential for enhanced performance of mechanically stacked hybrid III–V/Si tandem photovoltaic modules using DC–DC converters

Sara MacAlpine, David C. Bobela, Sarah Kurtz, Matthew P. Lumb, Kenneth J. Schmieder, James E. Moore, Robert J. Walters, Kirstin Alberi

Author Affiliations +

Funded by: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Department of Energy

Journal of Photonics for Energy, Vol. 7, Issue 4, 042501 (November 2017). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.7.042501

Abstract

This work examines a tandem module design with GaInP2 mechanically stacked on top of crystalline Si, using a detailed photovoltaic (PV) system model to simulate four-terminal (4T) unconstrained and two-terminal voltage-matched (2T VM) parallel architectures. Module-level power electronics is proposed for the 2T VM module design to enhance its performance over the breadth of temperatures experienced by a typical PV installation. Annual, hourly simulations of various scenarios indicate that this design can reduce annual energy losses to ∼0.5% relative to the 4T module configuration. Consideration is given to both performance and practical design for building or ground mount installations, emphasizing compatibility with existing standard Si modules.

Citation Download Citation

Sara MacAlpine, David C. Bobela, Sarah Kurtz, Matthew P. Lumb, Kenneth J. Schmieder, James E. Moore, Robert J. Walters, and Kirstin Alberi "Simulated potential for enhanced performance of mechanically stacked hybrid III–V/Si tandem photovoltaic modules using DC–DC converters," Journal of Photonics for Energy 7(4), 042501 (1 November 2017). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.7.042501

Received: 6 July 2017; Accepted: 5 October 2017; Published: 1 November 2017

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

;

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE