Thermodynamic performance of hot-carrier solar cells: A quantum transport model

Abstract: In conventional solar cells, photogenerated carriers lose part of their energy before they can be extracted to make electricity. The aim of hot-carrier solar cells is to extract the carriers before this energy loss, thereby turning more energy into electrical power. This requires extracting the carriers in a nonequilibrium (nonthermal) energy distribution. Here, we investigate the performance of hot-carrier solar cells for such nonequilibrium distributions. We propose a quantum transport model in which each energy-loss process (carrier thermalization, relaxation, and recombination) is simulated by a B\"uttiker probe. We study charge and heat transport to analyze the hot-carrier solar cell's power output and efficiency, introducing partial efficiencies for different loss processes and the carrier extraction. We show that producing electrical power from a nonequilibrium distribution has the potential to improve the output power and efficiency. Furthermore, in the limit where the distribution is thermal, we prove that a boxcar-shaped transmission for the carrier extraction maximizes the efficiency at any given output power.