Optical filter design applied to photovoltaic modules to maximize energy production

This paper proposes a method for evaluating and selecting the solar spectrum range to be absorbed by a photovoltaic cell to obtain a better relationship between radiation absorption for photovoltaic conversion and heating efficiency losses, in order to maximize the power generated by the cell. The methodology proposed considers the spectral response of the photovoltaic conversion technology and environmental operating conditions that affect the photovoltaic cell performance. The application of the methodology to a case study with real data from an equatorial location resulted in an optical filter that reflects wavelengths above 1000 nm. The application of this proposed filter reaches earnings between 6.8% and 1.1% in energy generated by crystalline silicon modules, depending on the reflectance of the filter.