Benchmark and irradiation tests of terrestrial solar cells for low cost space solar array

The need for low cost photovoltaic solutions is becoming more and more important with the ongoing NewSpace revolution. In this study, we review, as comprehensively as possible, the radiation hardness of various photovoltaic solar cells technologies. Emphasis is placed on cells offering attractive cost reduction compared to standard III-V based triple junctions. In addition, the following benchmarking criteria were identified: performance, including begin and end of life evolution (BOL/EOL) when submitted to doses/fluences, mass, Technological Readiness Level (TRL) and reliability.