External quantum efficiency above 100% in photovoltaic cells due to the technique raising efficiencies for all kinds of solar cells

TL;DR

This study investigates a novel V-shaped module technique that enhances solar cell efficiency, revealing an unexpected external quantum efficiency above 100%, and offers new insights into photovoltaic physics and potential applications.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates that the VSM technique can cause EQE above 100% in solar cells, providing a new explanation involving infrared photon trapping and dark energy effects.

Findings

EQE exceeds 100% in VSM solar cells

Infrared photon trapping explains the VSM effect

Potential for developing advanced photodetectors

Abstract

A V-shaped module (VSM) photovoltaic technique, which breaks traditional concepts, has been proven by European and American scientists to enable power-conversion-efficiency to increase by 50% for thin-film solar cells. Furthermore, the VSM technique raises power-conversion-efficiency for all kinds of solar cells (J. Environ. Sci. Eng. A 12, 214 (2023). https://doi.org/10.17265/2162-5298/2023.06.002). Mysterious dark energy is thought to result in the surprising VSM effect. The VSM approach opens up new avenues to study photovoltaic physics. In this study, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of commercial polycrystalline silicon solar cells in the VSM was investigated, which exhibits a surprising phenomenon of EQE above 100%. In theory, non-infrared light incident into a solar cell can cause infrared emission. The VSM could trap the emitted infrared photons and lead to extra photoexcited carriers. The easy-to-reproduce VSM effect is thus explainable. The energy of emitted infrared photons is considered as the so-called dark energy. This study provides new clues and evidences to unravel the mystery of the surprising VSM effect. The VSM technique could also be used to develop photodetectors for infrared and ultraviolet light respectively.