Abstract
A new thermodynamic limit for the open circuit voltage of solar cells
that includes thermalization is obtained in terms of photon entropy. A
simple graphical construction makes it possible to link this limit to
the existing limits for single junction cells due to Trivich and Flinn,
Shockley and Queisser and Würfel, and the thermodynamic Carnot-type
limit for hot-carrier solar cell. At the fundamental level, this limit
points to similarity between photovoltaic and thermoelectric energy
conversion.