Vol:.(1234567890) Journal of Computational Electronics (2023) 22:1048–1060 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10825-023-02021-z 1 3 Analytical modelling, simulation and comparative study of multi‑junction (GaInP2/InGaAs/Ge) solar cell eﬃciency Athil S. Al‑Ezzi 1,2 · M. N. M. Ansari 1,2 · Syed K. Ahmed 3 · Nadia M. L. Tan 3 · Noor Afeefah Nordin 2,3 · Saifuddin M. Nomanbhay 1,3 Received: 19 September 2022 / Accepted: 9 February 2023 / Published online: 29 April 2023 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023 Abstract We present results obtained using MATLAB/Simulink to simulate, experimental data and manufacturer materials speciﬁ- cations of a solar energy generation system (GaInP2/InGaAs/Ge). The simulations were performed by adjusting essential parameters, such as the solar insolation, temperature, and parasitic resistance considering their impact on the I–V and P–V characteristics. The project estimated the generated light current at a certain latitude (Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur) with tem- peratures and insolation variations through the time of year. Modelling and analysis help to understand the characteristics and behaviour of the present PV generator under lab conditions as well as in the real climate of that location. The results also showed that the power obtained is enhanced under higher incident light intensity, whereas it drops while increasing the PV cell temperature. Moreover, the results included parasitic resistors, which have diﬀerent impact on the output power. The power conversion eﬃciency is ideal with the highest shunt resistance and inversely proportional to the series resistance. The PV cell was tested by a solar simulator and the experimental results were compared to the simulation measurements and manufacturer speciﬁcations of the PV cell. In addition, the PV cell was inspected by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) for morphological characterization and elemental composition of the thin ﬁlm solar cell. Keywords Photovoltaic ‘PV’ cell · MATLAB/Simulink · P–V and I–V curves · Power conversion eﬃciency (PCE) 1 Introduction A photovoltaic (PV) cell is an optoelectronic device which can promptly convert freely available solar energy into elec- trical power. Incident light rays on a PV cell generate elec- trical power produced from both electric current and bias voltage [1, 2]. Even though solar energy is the fastest-growing sector of the PV market [3, 4], the performance of solar PV cells is still far from satisfactory. For example, a gradual failure in the module performance can be caused by corrosion (usu- ally by water vapour), decreasing the contacts’ adherence or deterioration of the anti-reﬂection coating. The power output may be reduced due to some failure modes and degradation processes, which are associated with water access or tem- perature damage [5]. Besides, the eﬀects of weather conditions such as heat and radiation on the power conversion eﬃciency ‘PCE’ [6, 7]. When the surface temperature of solar panels gets high, solar panel eﬃciency can decline to a certain extent. Furthermore, solar cells experience daily variations in light * M. N. M. Ansari ansari@uniten.edu.my Athil S. Al-Ezzi pe21063@student.uniten.edu.my Syed K. Ahmed syedkhaleel2000@gmail.com Nadia M. L. Tan nadia@uniten.edu.my Noor Afeefah Nordin noor.afeefah@uniten.edu.my Saifuddin M. Nomanbhay saifuddin@uniten.edu.my 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia 2 Institute of Power Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia 3 UNITEN R&D Sdn.Bhd., Universiti Tenaga Nasional, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.