Holistic Thermo-Optical Design of Laminate Layers for Halide Perovskite Photovoltaic Windows

Though power conversion is an important metric for photovoltaic windows, it must be balanced with visible transmittance, aesthetics (color and haze), and thermal performance. Optical properties are often reported, but thermal performance is typically neglected entirely in photovoltaic window design. Here, we introduce the strategy of using laminate layers to improve the thermo-optical performance of perovskite-based photovoltaic insulating glass units. We design the laminates and insulating glass units by coupling a transfer matrix method optical model to a 1D heat transfer model. We validate our models with experimental fabrication of one-dimensional photonic crystal layers that are deposited on glass and laminated to the perovskite photovoltaic device. The holistic designs neutralize the inherent transmissive red color, and the “red low-e” design dramatically reduce emissivity of the glass surface to significantly improve thermal insulation and boost the photocurrent of the device.