Unveiling Energy Conversion Mechanisms and Regulation Strategies in Perovskite Solar Cells

Despite recent revolutionary advancements in photovoltaic (PV) technology, further improving cell efficiencies toward their Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limits remains challenging due to inherent optical, electrical, and thermal losses. Currently, most research focuses on improving optical and electrical performance through maximizing spectral utilization and suppressing carrier recombination losses, while there is a serious lack of effective opto-electro-thermal coupled management, which, however, is crucial for further improving PV performance and the practical application of PV devices. In this article, the energy conversion and loss processes of a PV device (with a specific focus on perovskite solar cells) are detailed under both steady-state and transient processes through rigorous opto-electro-thermal coupling simulation. By innovatively coupling multi-physical behaviors of photon management, carrier/ion transport, and thermodynamics, it meticulously quantifies and analyzes energy losses across optical, electrical, and thermal domains, identifies heat components amenable to regulation, and proposes specific regulatory means, evaluates their impact on device efficiency and operating temperature, offering valuable insights to advance PV technology for practical applications. A comprehensive examination of how energy is converted and lost within a PV device is provided, with a particular emphasis on perovskite solar cells, during both steady-state and transient operations. Through meticulous opto-electro-thermal coupling simulations, the intricate interactions among photon management, carrier/ion transport, and thermodynamics are disclosed, providing a clear roadmap for improving efficiency and reducing temperature. image