Correlation between performance characteristics of indoor photovoltaic devices and DC-to-DC up-converters for low-power electronic applications

This study presents a numerical analysis to correlate performance characteristics of indoor photovoltaic (PV) devices with those of DC-to-DC up-converters designed for low-power electronic applications. A theoretical model based on self-consistent solution of Poisson's equation and continuity equation under optical generation-recombination conditions has been applied to design Cu2ZnSn(SSe)(4)-based PV devices having type-I and type-II energy band profiles, such that they can operate with peak efficiencies of 12.6% and 14.1%, respectively, under illumination from an experimentally characterized white light-emitting diode. Each PV device has been subsequently utilized as the input source of a Meissner oscillator-based self-driven DC-to-DC converter. Comparative analysis shows that in spite of the lower PV conversion efficiency, the PV device having higher short-circuit current density results in a higher output efficiency of the converter circuit. Similar characteristic trends are obtained for a boost converter operating in a discontinuous conduction mode, whereas a continuous conduction mode of operation results in the opposite trend. The underlying reason behind such an observation has been traced back to the transient behaviour of the inductor current of the converter. The results of this study suggest close correlation between physics-based design parameters of the PV device and output performance characteristics of the converter circuit.