Analysis on the Feasibility of Silicon-Based Solar Cells Applied in Commercial Aerospace

Silicon-based solar cells mainly consist of silicon-based photovoltaic cells and silicon-anode lithium-ion batteries, which perform power generation and energy storage functions for aerospace applications respectively. Compared with conventional aerospace gallium arsenide photovoltaic cells and graphite-anode lithium batteries, they boast outstanding strengths including lightweight structure, high energy density and low industrialization cost. These merits make them highly compatible with commercial aerospace scenarios such as low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, small satellites and near-space aircraft, rendering silicon-based solar cells a core development direction for cutting energy costs and boosting efficiency in commercial aerospace power systems.

Commercial aerospace power systems have rigid performance requirements: extreme weight reduction can drastically cut launch costs, high energy density improves the performance of payloads, and low-cost mass production supports the networking of tens of thousands of satellites. In addition, power systems must withstand harsh space environments including extreme temperature fluctuations and high-energy particle irradiation. At present, the mainstream triple-junction gallium arsenide photovoltaic cells and high-nickel graphite lithium batteries for aerospace are technically mature, yet plagued by exorbitant manufacturing costs and limited energy density, which creates broad room for the substitution and application of silicon-based solar cells.

Silicon-based solar cells exhibit prominent adaptability advantages. For power generation, flexible silicon-based photovoltaic cells leverage mature ground industrial chains, with costs only 1/10 to 1/5 of gallium arsenide counterparts. Ultra-thin and lightweight, they can be rolled up for storage, effectively increasing rocket loading capacity and satellite power output. Heterojunction (HJT) silicon cells feature radiation self-repair capabilities, while crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem cells have achieved efficiency close to gallium arsenide products, meeting the on-orbit operational demands of LEO satellites.

For energy storage, silicon-anode lithium-ion batteries deliver far higher energy density than traditional aerospace lithium batteries. Under the same energy storage capacity, they enable substantial weight reduction of equipment and expand available space for satellite payloads. Moreover, they possess excellent wide-temperature performance, superior fast-charging and high-power discharge capabilities, which can adapt to satellite orbital maneuvering, high-frequency imaging and other dynamic operating conditions. Their mature mass production processes lay a solid foundation for large-scale aerospace deployment.

Nevertheless, large-scale aerospace application of silicon-based solar cells is currently hampered by distinct drawbacks. In photovoltaic applications, silicon materials suffer from weak resistance to intense irradiation, leading to rapid performance degradation in high-orbit and deep-space missions. Sufficient stability data regarding long-term atomic oxygen erosion and space ultraviolet aging are still lacking, and packaging processes for tandem cells under space conditions require further optimization.

In energy storage applications, volume expansion of silicon anodes during charge-discharge cycles remains unresolved, resulting in low cycle life that fails to satisfy the over 5-year on-orbit cycle requirements of LEO satellites. High irreversible capacity loss during the initial charge-discharge cycle is another critical limitation. Furthermore, potential hazards including side reactions triggered by space irradiation and gas-induced cell bulging mean unified aerospace certification standards for silicon-based solar cells are absent, significantly raising the costs of application verification.

From the perspective of application scenarios, silicon-based solar cells can be deployed in low-cost short-lifespan LEO small satellites, CubeSat constellations and near-space aerostats in the short run, with extremely high technical feasibility. In the medium term, technological optimizations such as nano-silicon carbon modification, fluorinated electrolyte and radiation-resistant packaging will enable their use in 5–8 year service life LEO remote sensing satellites, space computing satellites and near-Earth exploration missions. By contrast, high-orbit long-lifespan communication satellites and deep-space exploration missions impose stringent requirements on stability and service life; silicon-based solar cells cannot replace traditional aerospace power supplies at present and can only serve as auxiliary power solutions.

Overall, silicon-based solar cells align with the core development demands of commercial aerospace: low cost, light weight and mass scalability. They can realize batch deployment in LEO commercial aerospace scenarios in the short term. As material modification, packaging processes and aerospace certification frameworks are refined, silicon-based solar cells will gradually become the mainstream power solution for medium and low-Earth-orbit commercial satellites, continuously driving cost reduction and performance improvement across the commercial aerospace industry.

To address industry pain points in reliability testing and operating condition verification of silicon-based space photovoltaic products, Aijiang Technology has developed a professional testing solution for space photovoltaic devices. Equipped with high-precision AM0 solar simulators, full-spectrum testing equipment and an AI inspection system, the solution can accurately replicate real space operating conditions including space irradiation and illumination. It supports testing of new aerospace photovoltaic devices such as silicon-based and perovskite tandem cells, and completes performance verification and lifespan evaluation of large-area solar arrays. This technology fills the gap in domestic precise testing of aerospace photovoltaic products, providing reliable technical support for on-orbit deployment and standardized certification of silicon-based solar cells for aerospace use.