Characterisation and Impact of Non-uniformity on Multi-Junction Solar Cells (MJS']JSC) Caused by Concentrator Optics

In this work, it has been developed a method to generate non-homogeneous light patterns on multi-junction solar cells. These patterns have been generated modifying the distance between the CPV receiver and the primary optics, which is based on a Fresnel lens. In order to diminish the impact of other variables, the incident spectrum, laboratory temperature and effective concentration have been kept constant: SMRtop-mid = 1 +/- 0.02, 25 +/- 0.5 degrees C and 380 +/- 3 suns, respectively. The light patterns on the top and middle subcells are measured using a CCD camera and band-pass filters. Results show that the electrical performance of the solar cells depends on the spatial and spectral profiles. The present work introduces a procedure to characterise and evaluate the impact of non-uniformities on the output of multi-junction solar cells. Nevertheless, this work is not intended to predict the actual output of the cell as a function of the light profiles, but to provide indications for possible underlying mechanisms.