Solar cells: How much they absorb, reflect and diffuse

[Deadstar]

Hey folks not sure if this is the right section but I'll give it a go...

I'm trying to out find out what percentage of photons a solar cell (preferably gallium arsenide solar cells) will absorb, reflect and diffuse. I have read, from a few links, that the highest absorption rate for silicon solar cells we have now is around 67%, does this sound correct..? Does anyone have any good links with info on this. I can only find info on absorption rates (and even then only on silicon ones) and not diffusion or reflection though and would like to know stats for these as well. These numbers will obviously depend on incident angle so if any links mention that it would be great.


http://solar.calfinder.com/blog/solar-information/solar-cell-absorption-rates-reaching-near-perfect/
http://www.wattwatt.com/pulses/340/solar-cell-absorption-rates-whats-the-big-deal/

 

[anorlunda]

It depends not only on incident angle and materials, but very strongly on surface roughness or geometry. There is some research on solar panels with nanoparticle surfaces that promise to be more efficient.

There are even specialized tools for research into your questions:
https://www.fluxim.com/solar-cell-research
Here is a good overview paper:
https://www.ijser.org/researchpaper/Development-of-High-Efficiency-Photovoltaic-Solar-Cells.pdf