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The Shockley–Queisser limit, zoomed in near the region of peak efficiency. In a traditional solid-state semiconductor such as silicon, a solar cell is made from two doped crystals, one an n-type semiconductor, which has extra free electrons, and the other a p-type semiconductor, which is lacking free electrons, referred to as "holes."
Thermodynamic efficiency limit is the absolute maximum theoretically possible conversion efficiency of sunlight to electricity. Its value is about 86%, which is the Chambadal-Novikov efficiency , an approximation related to the Carnot limit , based on the temperature of the photons emitted by the Sun's surface.
The Shockley–Queisser limit for the efficiency of a single-junction solar cell under unconcentrated sunlight at 273 K. This calculated curve uses actual solar spectrum data, and therefore the curve is wiggly from IR absorption bands in the atmosphere. This efficiency limit of ~34% can be exceeded by multijunction solar cells.
Third-generation photovoltaic cells are solar cells that are potentially able to overcome the Shockley–Queisser limit of 31–41% power efficiency for single bandgap solar cells. This includes a range of alternatives to cells made of semiconducting p-n junctions ("first generation") and thin film cells ("second generation").
The theoretical performance of a solar cell was first studied in depth in the 1960s, and is today known as the Shockley–Queisser limit. The limit describes several loss mechanisms that are inherent to any solar cell design. The first are the losses due to blackbody radiation, a loss mechanism that affects any material object above absolute zero.
English: The Shockley-Queisser limit for the maximum possible efficiency of a solar cell. The x-axis is the bandgap of the solar cell, the y-axis is the highest possible efficiency (ratio of electrical power output to light power input). (Assumes a single-junction solar cell under unconcentrated light, and some other assumptions too.)
The Shockley–Queisser limit radiative efficiency limit, also known as the detailed balance limit, [119] [120] is about 31% under an AM1.5G solar spectrum at 1000 W/m 2, for a Perovskite bandgap of 1.55 eV. [121] This is slightly smaller than the radiative limit of gallium arsenide of bandgap 1.42 eV which can reach a radiative efficiency of 33%.
English: The Shockley-Queisser limit for the maximum possible efficiency of a solar cell. The x-axis is the bandgap of the solar cell, the y-axis is the highest possible efficiency (ratio of electrical power output to light power input). (Assumes a single-junction solar cell under unconcentrated light, and some other assumptions too.)