Energy yield framework to simulate thin film CIGS solar cells and analyze limitations of the technology

• Published in: Scientific reports 2025-01, Vol.15 (1), p.988, Article 988
• Main Authors: Ramesh, Santhosh, Tuomiranta, Arttu, Yordanov, Georgi H., Badran, Hussein, Hajjiah, Ali, Vermang, Bart, Poortmans, Jef
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/166/4073; 639/4077/909/4101; Gallium; High temperature; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Selenide; Solar cells; Thin films
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-78862-w

This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) solar technology, benchmarked against crystalline silicon (c-Si) PERC PV technology. Utilizing a newly developed energy yield model, we analyzed the performance of CIGS in various environmental scenarios, emphasizing its behavior in low-light conditions and under different temperature regimes. The model demonstrated high accuracy with improved error metrics of normalized mean bias error (nMBE) ~ 1% and normalized root mean square error (nRMSE) of  ~ 8%–20% in simulating rack mounted setup and integrated PV systems. Key findings reveal that the CIGS technology, while slightly underperforming in integrated, low-irradiance setups, shows comparable or superior performance to c-Si PERC technology in high-irradiance and high-temperature conditions. A significant focus of the study was on the low-light performance of CIGS, where it exhibited notable voltage losses. Our research highlights the importance of reducing the diode ideality factor for enhancing CIGS power conversion efficiency, particularly In low-light conditions. These insights provide a pathway for future research and technological improvements, emphasizing defect engineering, passivation strategies to advance the understanding and application of the CIGS technology.