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Researchers Find Way to Reduce Satellite Solar Power Costs by Up to 90% Photograph: (AI)
Modern silicon solar cells could reduce the cost of photovoltaic systems used for space applications by as much as 85-90% compared with conventional triple-junction solar cells, according to a review led by researchers from the University of Surrey.
The study, titled “The Return of Silicon Solar Cells to Space”, was published in Acta Astronautica and examines whether advances in terrestrial silicon PV technology could make the technology viable again for spacecraft. 
Silicon solar cells were widely used in early space missions but were gradually replaced by gallium arsenide (GaAs)-based technologies from 1977 because of their higher efficiency and greater radiation resistance. The researchers said advances in modern silicon technologies, including heterojunction (HJT), TOPCon, PERC, heterojunction back-contact (HBC) and perovskite/silicon tandem cells, have prompted a reassessment of silicon for space applications. 
The review found that modern silicon technologies can achieve high efficiencies while offering significantly lower manufacturing costs than the GaInP/GaAs/Ge triple-junction cells that dominate space applications. The researchers cited industry prices of around $250-$450/W for triple-junction cells, compared with less than $1/W for several modern silicon technologies. HJT was estimated at $0.39/W in the study’s cost comparison. 
However, the cost advantage comes with a performance trade-off. The researchers estimate that modern silicon cells would have around 28% lower beginning-of-life (BOL) power output density than the triple-junction cells considered in the study. They also note that, for a given coverglass thickness, silicon is around 2.6 times less radiation-resistant than triple-junction technology. 
The researchers conducted an illustrative cost comparison using a 3U CubeSat and a Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) Micro Sat. For the comparison, silicon HJT cells were assumed to have 21.15% efficiency, while the triple-junction cells were modelled at 29.5%. Despite the lower power output, the HJT option had substantially lower calculated costs. 
For the SSTL Micro Sat case, the calculated cost of the silicon HJT cells was about $85.80-$91.30, compared with $65,200-$124,500 for the triple-junction cells. When a 150-micron space-qualified coverglass was included, the HJT system cost was estimated at $15,300-$16,300, compared with $76,750-$146,250 for the triple-junction option.
The study found that the coverglass, rather than the silicon cell itself, becomes a major component of the overall cost. The researchers therefore identified improvements in radiation resistance and reductions in the amount of coverglass required as important areas for future development. 
The silicon HJT cells also showed an advantage in specific power, a key consideration for spacecraft. In the case study, HJT was calculated to deliver roughly twice the specific power of the triple-junction cells, potentially reducing the mass of the solar cells and allowing spacecraft designers to allocate the saved mass to payloads, propellant or other systems. 
Even when the silicon HJT panel was increased in size to match the BOL power output of the triple-junction system, the researchers found that the silicon option remained at least an order of magnitude cheaper after accounting for additional panel costs in the illustrative case. 
The review also highlights silicon’s manufacturing advantage. With modern silicon PV accounting for the overwhelming majority of terrestrial solar-cell production, the technology benefits from established manufacturing capacity and supply chains. The researchers argue that this could become increasingly important as the number of spacecraft and demand for space-based power grow. 
The researchers nevertheless caution that terrestrial silicon cells cannot simply be transferred to space without further qualification. Space photovoltaics face charged-particle radiation, extreme thermal cycling, ultraviolet radiation, vacuum and atomic oxygen, all of which can affect cell performance and durability. 
The study also notes that the cost comparison is based on BOL performance. After five years, the end-of-life performance of the triple-junction cells is expected to be higher, highlighting the importance of considering degradation and mission duration when comparing the technologies. 
The researchers conclude that advances in modern silicon PV, combined with its low cost, manufacturing scale and high specific power, could make silicon a significant option for future space photovoltaic applications, provided its radiation resilience and other space-environment challenges can be addressed. 
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