Analysis of CdTe photovoltaic cells for ambient light energy harvesting

This paper investigates the suitability of CdTe photovoltaic cells to be used as power sources for wireless sensors located in buildings. We fabricate and test a CdTe photovoltaic cell with a transparent conducting oxide front contact that provides for high photocurrents and low series resistance at...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physics. D, Applied physics Applied physics, 2020-09, Vol.53 (40), p.405501
Main Authors: Mathews, Ian, Kantareddy, Sai Nithin Reddy, Liu, Zhe, Munshi, Amit, Barth, Kurt, Sampath, Walajabad, Buonassisi, Tonio, Peters, Ian Marius
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
CdTe
energy harvesting
internet of things
photovoltaics
solar cell
SOLAR ENERGY
wide bandgap
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Summary:This paper investigates the suitability of CdTe photovoltaic cells to be used as power sources for wireless sensors located in buildings. We fabricate and test a CdTe photovoltaic cell with a transparent conducting oxide front contact that provides for high photocurrents and low series resistance at low light intensities and measures the photovoltaic response of this cell across five orders of magnitude of AM1.5G light intensity. Efficiencies of 10% and 17.1% are measured under ∼1 W m−2 AM1.5G and LED irradiance respectively, the highest values for a CdTe device under ambient lighting measured to date. We use our results to assess the potential of CdTe for internet of things devices from an optoelectronic, as well as a techno-economic perspective, considering its established manufacturing know-how, potential for low-cost, proven long-term stability and issues around the use of cadmium.
ISSN:0022-3727
1361-6463
DOI:10.1088/1361-6463/ab94e6