Performance mapping of silicon-based solar cell for efficient power generation and thermal utilization: Effect of cell encapsulation, temperature coefficient, and reference efficiency

Characteristic Performance Maps (CPMAPs) are developed for silicon-based solar cells, based on a massive parametric study implemented by a validated thermal-fluid model. These CPMAPs reveal the variation of thermal-, energy-, and exergy-related performance indicators. The studied solar cell integrated with a generic heat sink satisfies the temperature demand within safe solar concentration range. The developed sets of CPMAPs investigate the effect of cell encapsulation, temperature coefficient, and reference efficiency. Findings indicate that reducing the thermal resistance of the intermediate layers between the silicon layer and the heat sink significantly elevates the maximum allowable concentration ratio. Besides, decreasing the thermal resistance of the intermediate layers enhanced the overall exergy efficiency. Furthermore, solar cells with lower temperature coefficients exhibit a minimal impact on expanding the safe range of solar concentration. However, the CPMAPs indicate that such cells are recommended for concentrator photovoltaic systems due to their ability to mitigate the inevitable decrease in electrical efficiency associated with high temperatures under high solar concentration. The use of high-reference efficiency cells slightly expands the safe range of solar concentration and leads to higher electrical exergy efficiency, albeit at the expense of reduced thermal exergy efficiency. Low-reference efficiency cells exhibit a higher potential for combined heat and power applications due to increasing the overall exergy efficiency. In contrary, high-reference efficiency cells are found to be more suitable for power generation applications. The proposed CPMAPs have significant implications, providing a novel roadmap for future research in the quantitative selection and design of photovoltaic systems.