Hybrid Cd‐free CIGS solar cell/TEG device with ZnO nanowires

A green energy device with a CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) cell covered with a passive light-trapping structure (ZnO nanowires (NWs)) and connected to an active energy-harvesting device (thermoelectric generator (TEG)) is presented. The efficiency of the ZnO NWs/CIGS PV device obtained using a deposition temperature of 550 degrees C and Cd-free processes reaches 16.5%. The series-connected CIGS PV cell with a TEG had a record-high efficiency of 22% at a cool-side temperature (T-c) below 5 degrees C. The open-circuit voltage (V-oc) of the hybrid CIGS PV/TEG device was increased from 0.64 to 0.85V. This technology has potential for high-efficiency energy-harvesting applications. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.