ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the main characteristics of the operation of a solar cell with respect to voltage, electrical current, and illumination. It explains the central feature of the solar cell performance in terms of the current density–voltage curve, considering the photovoltage, photocurrent, and the fill factor (FF), and how these are combined to produce the power conversion efficiency (PCE). The chapter derives the limits to efficiency conversion based on the Shockley–Queisser approach and presents a detailed discussion of the different fundamental intrinsic losses of light to electrical power conversion that lead to the maximal theoretical efficiency as a function of the bandgap energy of the absorber. It summarizes the fundamental limitations to solar energy conversion and quantitatively establish the fraction of the incoming energy that can be transformed into electrical power by the use of a given absorber material.
