Shockley–Queisser limit
E53321
The Shockley–Queisser limit is a theoretical maximum efficiency for single-junction solar cells, defining the upper bound on how much sunlight can be converted into electricity under standard conditions.
Aliases (1)
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
photovoltaic concept
→
solar cell efficiency limit → theoretical efficiency limit → |
| appliesTo |
p–n junction solar cell
→
single absorber photovoltaic device → single-junction solar cell → |
| appliesUnder |
AM0 spectrum for space applications with different numerical value
→
standard AM1.5G solar spectrum for terrestrial applications → |
| assumes |
black-body radiation spectrum for the sun
→
cell temperature of about 300 K → detailed balance between absorption and emission → no optical concentration unless explicitly included → no series resistance → radiative recombination as the only recombination mechanism → standard test conditions for solar illumination → step-function absorption at the band gap energy → thermal equilibrium between solar cell and surroundings → |
| belongsTo |
field of energy conversion thermodynamics
→
field of photovoltaics → field of semiconductor physics → |
| characterizes |
trade-off between current and voltage in a solar cell
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|
| constrains |
conversion of sunlight to electricity in single-junction photovoltaics
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|
| defines |
maximum theoretical power conversion efficiency of a single-junction solar cell
→
|
| dependsOn |
semiconductor band gap
→
|
| explains |
why single-junction solar cells cannot reach 100% efficiency
→
|
| hasApproximateValue |
about 33% efficiency for an ideal single-junction cell under standard AM1.5G illumination
→
about 41% efficiency for an ideal single-junction cell under full optical concentration → |
| hasMaximumEfficiencyAt |
band gap around 1.1–1.4 eV under AM1.5G spectrum
→
|
| isAlsoCalled |
Shockley–Queisser efficiency limit
→
detailed balance limit → |
| isBasedOn |
detailed balance principle
→
|
| isCircumventedBy |
carrier multiplication concepts in principle
→
hot-carrier solar cells in principle → intermediate band solar cells in principle → multi-junction solar cells → tandem perovskite–silicon solar cells → upconversion and downconversion schemes in principle → |
| isRelatedTo |
Carnot efficiency
→
thermodynamic limits of energy conversion → |
| isUsedAs |
benchmark for photovoltaic device performance
→
|
| isUsedIn |
design of high-efficiency solar cells
→
|
| motivates |
development of multi-junction solar cells
→
development of tandem solar cells → research into concepts that circumvent single-junction limits → |
| namedAfter |
Hans Queisser
→
William Shockley → |
| wasIntroducedBy |
Hans J. Queisser
→
William Shockley → |
| wasProposedIn |
1961
→
|
| wasPublishedIn |
Journal of Applied Physics
→
|
Referenced by (2)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Shockley–Queisser limit
("Shockley–Queisser efficiency limit")
→
|
isAlsoCalled |
|
William Shockley
→
|
knownFor |