Introducing SunSolve's Evolutionary Optimiser

We’re excited to launch our latest innovation in SunSolve Power: the Evolutionary Optimiser.

This advanced solver speeds up solar cell and module development by enabling users to optimise their designs more efficiently — in less time and with less effort.

The Challenge of Design Optimisation

When designing a solar cell or module, there are a multitude of design decisions. What is the optimal thickness for each film? What is the optimal finger width and height? What is the optimal cell separation? What is the optimal shape and number of ribbons? And so on.

Solving these design problems becomes ever more difficult as solar cells become ever more complicated. Consider the latest heterojunction solar cells with three films on every interface, or tandem solar cells with two substrates and even more films!

Design optimisation requires a deep understanding of how changing the dimensions of a cell impacts manufacturing, reliability, and most notably for SunSolve, performance.

Without an optimiser, engineers might sweep through hundreds of permutations in search of the configuration with the highest performance. This process is impractical when fabricating actual devices, and even when simulating virtual devices, it is time-consuming, resource-intensive and relies heavily on experience.

The Power of Evolutionary Optimisation

Our new Evolutionary Optimiser tackles the challenge of design optimisation by employing a genetic algorithm that explores a 1D, 2D or 3D parameter space. Rather than sweeping through all the possible combinations, the optimiser conducts multiple ‘generations’ of runs that ‘evolve’ to find the inputs that give the best performance. Using a process of mating and mutation, the algorithm finds optimal or near-optimal inputs with significantly fewer simulations than an exhaustive parameter sweep.

Key features include:

• Multi-input optimisation: Simultaneously optimise up to three inputs.
• Intelligent search algorithm: Apply a genetic algorithm to identify optimal values.
• Constraint handling: Set practical manufacturing limits and other constraints to ensure real-world feasibility.
• Flexible optimisation options: Fine-tune the algorithm to solve particular problems more efficiently.

The results of the Evolutionary Optimiser finding the optimal texture angle and perovskite thickness of a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell.

Real-World Example

Many manufacturers are faced with difficult problems relating to tandem solar cells. For example, what is the optimal pyramid angle and perovskite thickness?

When the texture angle increases, more light is transmitted into the tandem cell but an increasing fraction of that light is absorbed near the front surface, i.e., in the perovskite rather than the silicon layer. And since tandem cells are limited by whichever layer absorbs the least light, there must be some optimal angle and perovskite film thickness. What are the values that maximise the transmission while ensuring equal absorption in the perovskite and silicon layers? And are those optimal values within a manufacturable range?

This problem can be solved by a single simulation using our Evolutionary Optimiser, as demonstrated in the video above.

How It Works

Running the Evolutionary Optimiser is straightforward:

1. Define a starting point for the module inputs.
2. Select up to three inputs to optimise.
3. Set an optimisation objective, e.g., maximise the photon absorption.
4. Run the optimiser to find the inputs that achieve that objective.
5. Review the results of all the runs simulated by the optimiser.

Get Started Today

The Evolutionary Optimiser is now available for all SunSolve-Power Version 7 customers. Existing customers can access the tool immediately through their current subscription. We’ve included a quick video in our support section to help you get up and running. New customers can contact us to learn how this powerful optimisation capability can accelerate their PV innovation.

Ready to accelerate your design process? Contact us to schedule a demonstration or to discuss how the Evolutionary Optimiser can help you maximise performance and minimise development time.

Want to find out more about SunSolve’s Evolutionary Optimiser? Check out this tutorial video or contact us for a demo.

Thanks

We’re grateful to an undisclosed module manufacturer for co-funding the creation of the Evolutionary Optimiser, as well the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) for the funding we receive through their Advancing Renewables Program.