  Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are the most promising technology for advancing
current photovoltaic performance. However, the main challenge for their
practical deployment and commercialization is their operational stability,
affected by solar illumination and heating, as well as the electric field that
is generated in the PV device by light exposure. Here, we propose a transparent
multispectral photonic electrode placed on top of the glass substrate of solar
cells, which simultaneously reduces the device solar heating and enhances its
efficiency. Specifically, the proposed photonic electrode, composed of a
low-resistivity metal and a conductive layer, simultaneously serves as a
highly-efficient infrared filter and an ultra-thin transparent front contact,
decreasing devices' solar heating and operating temperature. At the same time,
it simultaneously serves as an anti-reflection coating, enhancing the
efficiency. We additionally enhance the device cooling by coating the front
glass substrate side with a visibly transparent film (PDMS), which maximizes
substrate's thermal radiation. To determine the potential of our photonic
approach and fully explore the cooling potential of PSCs, we first provide
experimental characterizations of the absorption properties (in both visible
and infrared wavelengths) of state-of-the-art PSCs among the most promising
ones regarding the efficiency, stability, and cost. We then numerically show
that applying our approach to promising PSCs can result in lower operating
temperatures by over 9.0 oC and an absolute efficiency increase higher than
1.3%. These results are insensitive to varying environmental conditions. Our
approach is simple and only requires modification of the substrate; it
therefore points to a feasible photonic approach for advancing current
photovoltaic performance with next-generation solar cell materials.
