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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.20757 |
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| _version_ | 1866918462135205888 |
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| author | Jäger, Klaus Mandal, Jyotirmoy Rand, Barry P. Meggers, Forrest Becker, Christiane |
| author_facet | Jäger, Klaus Mandal, Jyotirmoy Rand, Barry P. Meggers, Forrest Becker, Christiane |
| contents | Sub-bandgap reflectors (SBR) can reduce the temperature of photovoltaic (PV) modules by reflecting the near-infrared region of the solar spectrum with photon energies smaller than the electronic bandgap of the solar cell absorber material. We consider an ideal SBR, which reflects 100 % of non-harvestable low-energy photons but does not alter the reflectivity of the PV module for usable high-energy photons, and estimate how reducing the module temperature with the SBR affects the annual and the cumulative energy yield of silicon PV modules for six locations in North America and Europe. An ideal SBR would increase the annual energy yield between 1.0 % and 1.5 % for open-rack mounted modules and between 1.6 % and 2.4 % for close-roof mounted PV modules. Whether a non-ideal SBR provides a benefit in actual deployments strongly depends on the location and the optical properties of the coating. Beyond effects on the instantaneous power conversion efficiency and hence the annual energy yield, reducing the temperature by a SBR might also reduce the degradation and increase the overall lifetime of the PV module. By describing degradation using a simple Arrhenius approach using typical activation energies between 0.4 eV and 0.8 eV, we find that an ideal SBR increases the cumulative energy yield over 30 years between 2.2 % and 4.0 % for an open-rack mounted PV module in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_20757 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | How do sub-bandgap reflectors affect the performance of PV modules? Jäger, Klaus Mandal, Jyotirmoy Rand, Barry P. Meggers, Forrest Becker, Christiane Applied Physics Sub-bandgap reflectors (SBR) can reduce the temperature of photovoltaic (PV) modules by reflecting the near-infrared region of the solar spectrum with photon energies smaller than the electronic bandgap of the solar cell absorber material. We consider an ideal SBR, which reflects 100 % of non-harvestable low-energy photons but does not alter the reflectivity of the PV module for usable high-energy photons, and estimate how reducing the module temperature with the SBR affects the annual and the cumulative energy yield of silicon PV modules for six locations in North America and Europe. An ideal SBR would increase the annual energy yield between 1.0 % and 1.5 % for open-rack mounted modules and between 1.6 % and 2.4 % for close-roof mounted PV modules. Whether a non-ideal SBR provides a benefit in actual deployments strongly depends on the location and the optical properties of the coating. Beyond effects on the instantaneous power conversion efficiency and hence the annual energy yield, reducing the temperature by a SBR might also reduce the degradation and increase the overall lifetime of the PV module. By describing degradation using a simple Arrhenius approach using typical activation energies between 0.4 eV and 0.8 eV, we find that an ideal SBR increases the cumulative energy yield over 30 years between 2.2 % and 4.0 % for an open-rack mounted PV module in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. |
| title | How do sub-bandgap reflectors affect the performance of PV modules? |
| topic | Applied Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.20757 |