Performance analysis of MJT cell in summer and winter season under upgraded and standard operating conditions

Although solar photovoltaics have reduced electricity generation costs by 85%, they still only meet around 5% of global energy demand. Concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems, which use optical devices to concentrate sunlight onto single- or multi-junction photovoltaic (MJT) cells, provide a potential solution for enhancing energy capture and efficiency. MJT cells are not yet commercially available, however, constraining practical investigation into their actual performance in real-world applications. This work seeks to fill this gap by investigating the effect of cooling methods on MJT cell performance under high solar concentration (312 suns) in winter and summer conditions. The objective is to determine how forced and natural convection cooling affect cell temperature, power output, and conversion efficiency and thereby offer insights for optimizing CPV system design. Over five months from winter to summer, experiments assess energy generation, power conversion efficiency, and temperature for MJT cells with and without cooling. The results show that extreme sun concentration elevates cell temperatures, causing thermal stress and reducing power and efficiency. The natural convection cooling of the MJT cell dropped its temperature by 15.02°C in winter and 16.13°C in summer, increasing power production by 46% and 53% and efficiency by 48% and 54%. Forced convection cooling improved performance more, lowering cell temperature by 12.69°C in winter and 21.89°C in summer and increasing power production and efficiency by 91% and 86%. From February to June, forced convection outperformed natural convection, lowering cell temperatures by 19.24°C, increasing power output by 80%, and increasing efficiency by 96%. These findings reveal that effective thermal management is a prerequisite for optimizing MJT cell performance in CPV systems. Implementing advanced cooling strategies is able to lower thermal stress, increase power generation, and significantly improve efficiency, guiding the development of more efficient and high-performance CPV systems to cater to future energy requirements.