Ultra-Thin a-Ge:H Solar Cell with Switchable Absorption Enhancement: Towards Smart Photovoltaic Windows

Kurzfassung

Realizing a window with power generation on-demand and light management at the same time is one of the most intriguing challenges of the building-integrated photovoltaic community. We present an approach for a switchable solar window that enables a reversible transition from a light absorption state, which results in a photo-generated current, to a semi-transparent state. The device is based on an ultra-thin amorphous germanium layer, arranged in an optical cavity for broadband light absorption. The applicability of our device is tested by modeling the switching behavior in a realistic scenario.