Photovoltaic performance in the Venus environment

The harsh environment of Venus makes it a challenging location to use photovoltaics. The difficulties include low solar intensity due to clouds and atmospheric scattering, altered solar spectrum, high operating temperatures, and a corrosive acid environment Incorporating the effect of the Venus atmosphere and clouds on the intensity and spectrum of light available and the effect of the ambient temperature, the efficiency of solar cells is calculated as a function of altitude above the surface. Remarkably, even at the high-temperature conditions of the Venus surface, some performance remains.