Predicted Power Output of Silicon-Based Bifacial Tandem Photovoltaic Systems

The energy yield of photovoltaic systems can be augmented by increasing the efficiency of individual cells through tandem architectures, increasing the normal irradiance on modules through tracking, or increasing the total irradiance with bifacial modules. Here, we investigate bifaciality in series-connected tandem architectures and find modest energy gains relative to their monofacial cousins. More importantly, the range of appropriate top-cell bandgaps widens, enabling higher-performance top-cell materials to be used without a detrimental impact on the current matching between the cells.