The Shockley–Queisser limit and the conversion efficiency of silicon-based solar cells

According to some estimates, every hour, Sun provides planet Earth with more energy than humankind consumes in a whole year. Part of this energy has been essential to ensure living conditions (warmth and food production, for instance) and, more recently, to generate electricity by means of atmospheric (aeolian) and/or geographical (hydropower) sources. In addition to these, the direct (photovoltaic PV) conversion of solar radiation into electricity represents a very elegant method of power generation that causes minimum (or no) environmental disturbance. As a result, numerous efforts have been dedicated to further advance the achievement of clean and sustainable electricity, as supplied by the PV science and technology. Within this scenario, the association of PV with the silicon (Si) semiconductor industry played a crucial role–either by introducing new scientific insights or by promoting successive costs reductions in the field of renewable energy conversion. Yet, the performance of these so-called (either crystalline or amorphous) Si-based solar cells was always a matter of concern. In fact, the subject gained attention with the seminal work by Walter Shockley and Hans Queisser that, in 1961, proposed a model according to which the maximum efficiency of a solar cell is determined by both the solar spectrum and the properties of the semiconductor material. Since then, the work by Shockley and Queisser (also known as the Shockley–Queisser limit) has experienced some improvements and became a reference in the field. Motivated by these facts, along with the main scientific–technological achievements they provided, the Shockley–Queisser limit and the conversion efficiency of the Si-based solar cells along the last 60 years form the basis of this paper.