Nature-inspired spherical silicon solar cell for three-dimensional light harvesting, improved dust and thermal management

Abstract

Unconventional techniques to benefit from the low-cost and high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells can lead to new device capabilities and engineering prospects. Here, a nature-inspired spherical solar cell is demonstrated, which is capable of capturing light three-dimensionally. The proposed cell architecture is based on monocrystalline silicon and is fabricated using a corrugation technique. The spherical cell shows an increase in power output by up to 101% with respect to a traditional flat cell with the same projection area using different reflective materials. Finally, the spherical cell shows advantages in terms of enhanced heat dissipation and reduced dust accumulation over conventional cells.