The SOLEY software was developed by a professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and claims to make accurate opto -electronic modeling of photovoltaic devices possible and to accurately reproduce the behavior of photo periods under lighting.
Zacharie Jehl Li-Kao, a researcher from the Electronic Engineering department at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), has developed SOLEY, an open-access simulation software designed to model the optical and electrical performance of photovoltaic solar cells.
Li-Kao emphasized that SOLEY is not intended to replace commonly used tools such as SCAPs, but to supplement them.
“Fotovoltaic modeling packages, including the excellent scaps, are usually based on the drift diffusion model. SOLEY uses a more thermodynamic approach and extends the concept of detailed balance with Auger and, more importantly, with realistic SRH recomination,” he said. The software is available for Windows, Linux and MacOS.
SOLEY combines the transfer matrix method (TMM) with an extensive detailed balance model to reproduce the behavior of photo periods under lighting. This approach offers various benefits compared to drift diffusion models, including the possibility of working with fewer input parameters and to quickly perform detailed balance calculations. That speed makes powerful batch calculations for brutal-force optimisations possible, which can be Li-KAO comments more reliable than parameter tuning that risks convergence to unfysical values.
The software also supports direct or diffuse lighting, making it useful for applications such as photovoltaic covered, optical low-laying optimization, materials with mixed index, multi-function architectures and generation strips.
Although mainly designed for thin films, the optical algorithm of SOLEY stability controls contains simulations of thick absorbent layers and crystalline silicon solar cells. “Although it does not yet take photon recycling, SOLEY takes care of Native Multijunctions and contains a self-contained optical engine that uses the transfer matrix to tackle cases in which TMM usually does not work,” Li-Kao said.
SOLEY has a graphic interface that is designed for ease of use. “The aim of SOLEY is to replenish existing Drift-Diffusion simulation tools, certainly not replaced. The graphic user interface makes it accessible to a wide audience within the research community and a potentially valuable educational tool,” he added.
With the software, users can also upload an example of solar cells. Current examples are silicon, kesterite, perovskiet (without temporary effects) and tandem perovskiet/silicon devices. “I will expand the database and take optical data directly from the cloud over time. However, users must upload their own material data if the goal is to conduct serious research,” noted Li-Kao.
SOLEY is being further developed in the Micro and Nanotechnologies Research Group of UPC. Li-Kao also leads device modeling activities for the European Cost Action Renew-PV Consortium, which brings together academic and industrial researchers throughout Europe to promote inorganic chalcogenide thin film photovoltaic technologies.
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