Photovoltaic Energy Harvesting under Low Lighting Conditions

Abstract—The design rules for standard outdoor solar cells are not applicable for cells which are used under low lighting conditions and spectra deviating from AM 1.5. This paper will discuss the major influences on cell efficiencies and their impact on the design of photovoltaic cells for energy self-sufficient sensor systems. This is done for different material classes like crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon and III-V materials. Keywords–energy harvesting; indoor photovoltaics; low-lighting conditions; photovoltaic cells I