Terrestrial Solar Spectra, Solar Simulation and Solar Cell Short-Circuit Current Calibration: A Review

In this paper the main issues in modeling and measuring terrestrial solar spectra and their relation to the short-circuit current of solar cells are addressed. These issues are (1) the measured and modeled terrestrial solar spectra, (2) the optimal light sources and their filtering for simulating the standard terrestrial solar irradiance spectrum and (3) the consequences of a mismatch between the chosen standard terrestrial solar spectrum and the actual irradiance conditions for the rated efficiency of a solar cell. In addition, this review provides the photovoltaics community with a tutorial document and a summary of the current activities and results in this field.