Which statement about the Shockley-Queisser limit is FALSE?
A.The Shockley-Queisser limit cannot define the maximum achievable efficiency of c-Si based solar cells as radiative recombination will never be the dominant loss mechanism for charge carrier recombination in c-Si.
B.The Shockley-Queisser limit shows that the optimum band gap for single junction solar cells under the standard test conditions is in the range of 1.0-1.5 eV.
C.The Shockley-Queisser limit describes a thermal situation in which it is assumed that the solar cell is considerably heated up.
D.The Shockley-Queisser limit does not consider charge carrier losses by Auger recombination
To determine which statement about the Shockley-Queisser limit is false, we need to understand what the Shockley-Queisser limit is and what it describes.
The Shockley-Queisser limit is a theoretical calculation that defines the maximum achievable efficiency of a solar cell based on its bandgap energy and the solar spectrum. It takes into account various loss mechanisms, such as radiative recombination and non-radiative recombination.
Let's go through each statement to find the false one:
A. The statement says that radiative recombination will never be the dominant loss mechanism in c-Si (crystalline silicon) solar cells. This is true. In c-Si solar cells, non-radiative recombination typically dominates over radiative recombination, making it a less significant loss mechanism.
B. The statement suggests that the optimum band gap for single junction solar cells under standard test conditions is in the range of 1.0-1.5 eV. This is also true. According to the Shockley-Queisser limit, a bandgap energy within this range is considered optimal for single junction solar cells.
C. The statement implies that the Shockley-Queisser limit describes a thermal situation in which the solar cell is considerably heated up. This is false. The Shockley-Queisser limit assumes an ideal thermal situation where the solar cell operates at room temperature without any considerable heating.
D. The statement claims that the Shockley-Queisser limit does not consider charge carrier losses by Auger recombination. This is true. The Shockley-Queisser limit does not include Auger recombination as one of the loss mechanisms. However, it does consider other loss mechanisms such as radiative and non-radiative recombination.
Therefore, the false statement about the Shockley-Queisser limit is: C. The Shockley-Queisser limit describes a thermal situation in which it is assumed that the solar cell is considerably heated up.