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Effect of angle on photovoltaic cells

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  • Effect of angle on photovoltaic cells

    Hi all!

    I'm looking to calculate output of some small solar cells with a fair degree of accuracy. One of the factors I need to consider is the angle of incidence of sunlight falling on the cells.

    Now, I know there is a Lambertian reduction (Cosine Law) due to the fact the apparent surface area is shrinking (as seen from the sun) as the angle moves away from normal - that's easy enough to compensate for.

    What I was wondering was if, typically, solar cells lose efficiency if light falls on them at an angle. I figure, due to the way the cells are constructed, that cells may not work well outside a certain range of angles. My cells are Germanium-based layered triple-junction devices. Their spec does not mention any angle response.

    Let's say that I made the sun brighter (!) so that same amount of energy always fell on my cell regardless of angle of incidence. Would the cell always give the same output, even at shallow angles?

    I'll be testing them experimentally later, but I wanted to think through the theory first...

    Thanks!
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