Due to the high similarity of photovoltaic images, the difficulty of registering photovoltaic images increases while the accuracy requirement for registering images is high. This article proposed a guided spatial consensus registration algorithm based on local structural similarity constraint. First, local similarity structural constraints are established based on the characteristics of the neighborhood

The halide perovskite material has excellent photoelectric properties and is one of the research hotspots of solar cells. However, this kind of solar cell generally faces the problems of the toxic element lead and poor stability of small organic molecules in perovskite material, which greatly hindered the commercial application of perovskite solar cells. Therefore, it is imperative to develop new and

In this article, detailed numerical modeling is performed for front junction (FJ) and rear junction (RJ) n-type Si solar cells with screen-printed double-side poly-Si based tunnel oxide passivated contacts (TOPCon). A roadmap for efficiency projections of commercial-type RJ and FJ topologies reaching 24.8% and 23.3% efficiencies, respectively, has been developed to quantify and explain the impact of

We investigate the inkjet printing of liquid silicon ink to form in situ doped and structured passivating contacts. The ink consists of neopentasilane oligomers in solvents and decomposes into amorphous silicon with a short anneal. By printing boron- and phosphorus-doped ink on silicon oxide, polycrystalline silicon on oxide (POLO) junctions for both p-type and n-type polarities (POLO²) are formed

We recently showed that silicon heterojunction solar cell with MoO x -based hole-selective contact could reach 23.5% in efficiency with MoO x layers of 4 nm. Such thin MoO x layer enables a considerable current-density gain of over 1 mA/cm 2 compared to the use of p-type amorphous silicon, and outperforms thicker MoO x layers. In this article, we investigated the impact of the MoO x hole-selective

Transition metal oxides such as MoO 3 , WO 3 , V 2 O 5, and NiO have shown potential as hole-selective passivating contact for crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. Among them, NiO is a notoriously poor hole-conducting semiconductor. Doping metal oxide with multivalent metal cations is an effective method to modify their electronic properties because dopant-induced favorable defect states play a

One of the common failures in photovoltaic modules is the degradation of the ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) encapsulant due to prolonged ultraviolet exposure and other environmental stress factors, such as temperature and humidity. Experimental studies have shown that significant reduction in the optical transmission due to EVA degradation leads to loss in the available power by more than 50%. In this

The viability of novel coextruded, fluoropolymer-free backsheets for photovoltaic (PV) modules has been questioned as a result of a large number of early-life backsheet failures in PV installations containing one of the earliest co-extruded polyamide (PA)-based backsheet to reach the market, “AAA.” New PV reliability testing protocols have been recently developed and applied to backsheets to reproduce

High-efficiency Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGSe) thin-film solar cells are typically fabricated by a multistage coevaporation process. The Cu-rich composition achieved during the second stage is known to favor the grain growth of the polycrystalline CIGSe film and has a beneficial effect on the solar cell performance. In this article, we analyze the effect of copper stoichiometry on the grain size of sputtered

This article focuses on the plasmonic effect of gold nanoparticles incorporated in mesoporous TiO 2 photoanode for high efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). We have adopted a facile TiCl 4 posttreatment process for coating a thin TiO 2 shell over the gold nanoparticles. The device without TiCl 4 treatment and containing bare or uncoated gold nanoparticles exhibits a drop in efficiency compared

This article thanks to recent advancements in nanofabrication and 3-D packaging, typical Internet of Things devices can now be wirelessly controlled using millimeter-scale sensors known as Internet of Tiny Things devices. Since these low-power devices may be exposed to low and indirect solar irradiation, we demonstrate a novel mesosuperstructured solar cell (MSSC) that allows low flux light to be harvested

In order to optimize the working electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), three kinds of stacked-film structures with the same overall thickness of 13 μ m were prepared by using spray coating system, including pure TiO 2 film, TiO 2 -Graphene (TG) film and TiO 2 /TG (TTG) bilayer film. To increase light path and excite more dye molecules, the bilayer structure of TTG film is composed with

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) possess excellent mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and superior flexibility, thus making them exceptional candidates for dopant nanometal. A photoanode modified with AgNWs–titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) composite film was prepared and used in flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The AgNWs were synthesized by a stable polyol method. We employed the field-emission

GaInP top cell current-density presently limits the performance of HVPE-grown two-junction devices, in large part due to unwanted dopant diffusion. Here, we institute mitigation strategies to lower the diffusion of dopants from both the front contact and back surface field. Successful application of these strategies resulted in a short-circuit current density of 12.1 mA/cm 2 in a GaInP/GaAs cell, an

This article describes the successful integration of a passivated, highly reflecting Ge rear side into a III-V multijunction solar cell. The use of lowly doped Ge and the new rear side leads to the aimed increase in Ge cell current up to 1.6 mA.cm −2 , demonstrated by external quantum efficiency and I–V measurements. For the contact formation, two different types of laser processes were conducted and

This article focuses on the material properties of two III-V semiconductors, AlGaAs and GaInAsP, and their usage as middle cell absorber materials in a wafer-bonded III-V//Si triple-junction solar cell. To this end single-junction solar cells were grown epitaxially lattice matched on GaAs wafers using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. By optimizing the growth temperature and the V/III ratio we could

In this article, we investigate the molecular beam epitaxy growth of unannealed 1.12 eV InGaAsN solar cells. The impact of the growth temperature, the As/III ratio and the bismuth used as a surfactant are reported. An in-situ curvature measurement setup enables to monitor and ensures a constant N incorporation during the InGaAsN growth. Ex-situ characterization results suggest that a high As/III ratio

In this article, 100 times or above enhancement in current has been reported in comparison to any of the previously reported BFO-based PV device. This was achieved by fabricating a novel heterostructure junction between ferroelectric Cr-doped BFO (BFCrO) and TiO 2 nanotubes (T-NTs). The device performance is also compared with BFO/T-NTs junction as well. The Ag/BFO (or BFCrO)/T-NTs/Ti PV cells were

In the modeling of PV modules under shading and low illumination, a complete description of reverse bias behavior at the cell level is critical to understanding module response. This is particularly important when dealing with high voltage configurations such as tandem and shingled modules. Current simulation studies often do not account for the effects of incident light when dealing with operating

The enhanced surface area of silicon nanotexture is an important metric for solar cell integration as it affects multiple properties including optical reflectance, dopant diffusion, and surface recombination. Silicon nanotexture is typically characterized by its surface-area-to-projected-area ratio or enhanced area factor (EAF). However, traditional approaches for measuring EAF provide limited statistics

In this article, we measured and estimated the outputs of car-mounted PV panels under actual driving conditions and different effective shading angles. On a sunny day, the performance ratio ( PR ) decreased to 0.99, despite the decrease in module temperature caused by the increased wind speed when driving. The PR decreased because of the effect of partial shading over the PV module. Public infrastructure

We introduce a photonic color concept for integrated photovoltaic modules. Taking up the inspiration from the Morpho butterfly with its brightly colored wings, we developed this photonic concept further to achieve an improved angular independent color effect, suitability for module integration, and compatibility with industrial production processes, while maintaining high module efficiencies. We demonstrate

This article presents an initial performance analysis of a database of photovoltaic (PV) system performance time series collected within the European funded COST Action PEARL PV. The database contains monitoring data of over 8400 PV systems with accompanying metadata. The PV plants are small residential systems, primarily installed in Europe, with a high density in Belgium. In this initial study, the

This article proposes the development of a model reference adaptive controller (MRAC) for grid integration of a single-stage three-phase grid-connected photovoltaic system (GCPVS). The performance of a GCPVS is influenced by uncertainties such as measurement noise, solar irradiance, photovoltaic (PV) operating point, aging of the dc-link capacitor, and variation in the filter impedance. In order to

To investigate the optimal working electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the traditional TiO 2 film is modified by adding an electron transporting layer of graphene. Different layers of TiO 2 /graphene/TiO 2 stacks on the FTO substrate are analyzed. The experimental results show that the TiO 2 /graphene/ TiO 2 /graphene/TiO 2 (TGT2) structure has higher dye loading, which means that more

Contactless plating with electroless solutions can provide self-aligned high-efficiency contacts with very low silver content, using simple and inexpensive equipment. With prior surface activation, it can even be used to metallize both sides of bifacial silicon solar cells simultaneously. However, we observe in such a coplating process with nickel, where surface activation is achieved by immersion

In this article, carrier lifetime degradation phenomena on fired gallium-doped Czochralski-grown silicon (Cz-Si:Ga) and boron-doped float-zone silicon (FZ-Si:B) are observed. We examine lifetime degradation and regeneration as a function of illumination intensity and temperature and observe qualitatively similar degradation effects in both material classes, which are triggered by a fast-firing high-temperature

The negative fixed charge density contributed by graphene oxide is estimated as high as 6 x 10 12 cm −2 . Graphene oxide is therefore a promising candidate for Si solar cell passivation. However, the high-temperature steps for manufacturing commercial Si solar cells would change the composition of graphene oxide. Therefore, graphene oxide cannot be directly adopted by commercial PERC manufacturers

The rate at which silicon solar cells and wafers degrade and regenerate when subjected to light and elevated temperatures (LeTID) is known to depend on the minority carrier concentration. In this article, we utilize spatial differences in the rate of degradation and regeneration in multicrystalline silicon wafers to estimate the dependence of these rates on minority carrier concentration. We apply

We investigate the degradation and regeneration behavior of quasi-monocrystalline silicon passivated emitter and rear cells under illumination at elevated temperatures. The decrease and increase of the solar cell efficiencies over time is accelerated under increased temperature or illumination intensity. We examine the defect activation kinetics and determine rate constants both for the degradation

Black silicon (b-Si) surfaces typically have a high density of extreme nanofeatures and a significantly large surface area. This makes high-quality surface passivation even more critical for devices such as solar cells with b-Si surfaces. It has been hypothesized that conformal dielectrics with a high fixed charge density ( ${{\boldsymbol{Q}}_{\boldsymbol{f}}}$ ) are preferred as the nanoscale features

Achieving low contact resistivity for the p-contact in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells is challenging when classic n-type transparent conductive oxides (TCOs), such as indium tin oxide (ITO), are used in the contact stack. Here, we report on SHJ solar cells with interdigitated back-contact (IBC) and a direct aluminum (Al) metallization applied to the p-contact. We find that carefully annealing

This article investigates the impact of the back-surface-field (BSF) thickness variation within a local aluminum contact on the performance of passivated emitter and rear contact solar cells. A significant difference of BSF thickness between contact endings and the center of dash-shaped contacts is verified experimentally by a comprehensive statistical analysis using scanning electron microscopy. The

The ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF) imaging method has been widely used as a rapid and economic field inspection tool for investigating encapsulant discoloration of field-aged photovoltaic (PV) modules. In field-aged PV modules, encapsulant discoloration can result in a pronounced decrease in the short-circuit current. The spatial distribution of environmental stressors and therefore discoloration pattern

In this article, the development and optimization of carrier-selective and passivating contacts by industry-scale inline plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and their successful integration into solar cells are reported. Amorphous Si thin films with varying carbon content (SiC x ) were deposited on a thermally grown ultrathin tunnel oxide (TOPCon) and electrically characterized. Furthermore,

Silicon heterojunction solar cells can employ p-type hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon nc-Si:H(p) on their front side, since these can provide better transparency and contact resistance compared to hydrogenated p-type amorphous silicon layers. We investigate here the influence of trimethyl boron (TMB) and BF 3 as dopant source on the layer properties and its performance in solar cells. Both gases

Seed-assisted cast-mono silicon for photovoltaic (PV) application is a relevant alternative to the conventional Czochralski (Cz) in terms of cost and carbon footprint. Despite the remarkable PV conversion efficiencies reached when combining this material with novel cell concepts, cast-mono industrial deployment is infringed by the propagation of dislocation clusters during crystallization, inducing

Light- and elevated temperature-induced degradation (LeTID) is assumed to be triggered by the hydrogen content in the crystalline silicon bulk. This article investigates differently thick atomic layer-deposited aluminum oxide (AlO x ) layers acting as diffusion barrier for hydrogen originating from a hydrogen-rich silicon nitride (SiN y :H) layer. We demonstrate that the extent of LeTID can be significantly

Mg x Zn 1− x O (MZO) is a promising window material for high-efficiency CdTe thin film solar cell fabrication. However, the performance of MZO-based CdTe solar cell exhibits high sensitivity to the heat treatment of MZO during device fabrication process. In this article, the chemical, microstructural and electrical instability of MZO films and their effect on device performance of CdTe thin film solar

This article reports fabrication and characterization of an Inverted inorganic–organic hybrid solar cell based on ITO/(ZnO/ZnMgO)/ZnONR/PCBM/P3HT:PCBM/PEDOT:PSS/Ca-Al heterostructure. Four different cells were fabricated with and without the presence of both the ZnO/ZnMgO barrier layer and ZnO nanorod (NR) structures. The oxide layers were grown on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates through

In this work, we have tried to understand the variation of experimentally obtained photovoltaic characteristics (open-circuit voltage (V OC ), short-circuit current density (J SC ), fill factor (FF), and conversion efficiency (η)) for multiple dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) prepared and characterized under identical experimental conditions. Twenty (20) DSSCs are prepared using ZnO photo-anodes

Recently, the bulk heterojunction (BHJ)-based photoactive layer has been favored over the planar heterojunction (PHJ)-based photoactive layer for organic photovoltaics (OPVs), owing to the evitable thickness limit of the latter induced by the low mobility of charge carriers. However, under dim indoor light conditions, the PV performance becomes immune to the resistive components of the PHJ OPVs, such

This article concerns the use of anthocyanin, mallow and their mixture as a low-cost natural dyes to sensitize the photo-anodes of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) layers, and investing their effect on the electrical performance of the realized cells. In fact, different layers of porous titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass (FTO)

The electron transporting layer (ETL) is a critical component in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and plays an important role in extracting and transporting electrons. However, the commonly used wide-bandgap metal oxides (TiO 2 , ZnO, SnO 2 , etc.) often involve undesirable photocatalytic activity towards perovskite materials under UV light, which would undermine the long-term stability of PSCs. In this

Electrically active defects present in three InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) intermediate band solar cells grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy have been investigated. The devices’ structures are almost identical, differing only in the growth temperature and thickness of the GaAs layers that cover each InAs QD layer. These differences induce significant changes in the solar energy conversion efficiency

The heterogeneous integration of a GaSb subcell into a 4-terminal cell is currently experiencing a regain of interest for high concentrator multijunction photovoltaics. In this context, the assessment of the lateral charge carrier transport in a GaSb cell under concentrated light is fundamental. The characterization and modeling of a GaSb single-junction solar cell under concentration are presented

In this article, we explore the influence of module size on the rate of interconnecting solder bond thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) damage. Structural mechanics models of crystalline silicon PV models are created to solve with the finite-element method. Results conclusively demonstrate that the rate of solder bond TMF damage is independent of module size, interconnect location across the cell and cell

Visual inspection of solar modules is an important monitoring facility in photovoltaic power plants. Since a single measurement of fast CMOS sensors is limited in spatial resolution and often not sufficient to reliably detect small defects, we apply multiframe superresolution (MFSR) to a sequence of low-resolution measurements. In addition, the rectification and removal of lens distortion simplifies

A method for quantifying dopant–hydrogen pairs and their formation dynamics in crystalline silicon by means of directly contacted resistance measurements is presented and exemplarily validated. The method can also be applied in-situ in the temperature range where dopant–hydrogen pair formation occurs. Furthermore, the influence of different confounding factors such as a faulty assumption of doping

Dust is the cause of generation reduction of solar photovoltaic (SPV) modules from the day it is installed. Its deposition depends on geographical location of a module where it is installed, due to difference in meteorological events, causing variation in generation efficiency. In an earlier article, the dry deposition processes are modeled in which effects of relative humidity (RH) and precipitation

Strings constructed from three-terminal tandem (3TT) solar cells offer the performance benefits of voltage-matching (which reduces sensitivity to spectral variation), but without the subcell voltage isolation required by four-terminal cells. However, the circuitry for a 3TT string can become complex, making circuit analysis more challenging. Here, we illustrate the essential features of “homogenous”

Analyses of performance loss rates in photovoltaic (PV) systems are not yet standardized, and are typically carried out by a linear regression of the evolution of a certain performance metric (e.g., performance ratio, yield, etc.) over time. In this article, we propose a novel methodology of advanced PV system performance loss rate modeling applying a self-regulated multistep algorithm. The developed

In this article, we explore the possibility of using spread spectrum time domain reflectometry (SSTDR) for detecting disconnections in a large-scale photovoltaic (PV) array. We discuss the importance, role, and trade-offs of SSTDR resolution, frequency, and attenuation in detecting disconnects in the system. Our results show that if the proper system parameters are chosen, disconnections can be detected

Overvoltage is one of the issues in distribution grids with high penetration of photovoltaics (PVs). Centralized or droop-based methods of active power curtailment (APC) and/or reactive power control of PVs are viable solutions to prevent overvoltage. This article proposes two distributed methods to control PV inverters, which are based on nodal sensitivities. Then, the performance of the proposed

Simulation is essential for a comprehensive analysis of the performance of solar cells. The rear contact pitch of passivated emitter and rear cells (PERC cells) is a crucial device parameter that influences not only the electrical performance but also the optical performance of these cells. This article investigates the applicability of the analytical light trapping model by Basore to account for the

We compare light and elevated temperature induced degradation (LeTID) in four different silicon substrates, namely p-type boron-doped and n-type phosphorus-doped mono-like Si and float zone silicon, and study the dependence of the degradation behaviors on silicon nitride (SiN x ) film properties and dopant diffusions. The materials exhibit different degradation kinetics, but show a similar dependence

Presents the table of contents for this issue of the publication.

Presents a listing of the editorial board, board of governors, current staff, committee members, and/or society editors for this issue of the publication.

Periodic V-grooves channels, upright, and inverted pyramids structures were texturized on monocrystalline silicon (c-Si) substrates using ammonium hydroxide (NH 4 OH) solution. This cheap and CMOS compatible etching solution aims at the integration of circuits with photovoltaic (PV) cells for monolithic purposes. To obtain these structures, lithographed silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) patterns were used to

In this article, we investigate the effect of prolonged light exposure on silicon heterojunction solar cells. We show that, although light exposure systematically improves solar cell efficiency in the case of devices using intrinsic and p-type layers with optimal thickness, this treatment leads to performance degradation for devices with an insufficiently thick (p) layer on the light-incoming side