Correlating the electrical performance of photovoltaic modules to the spatially resolved photoluminescence, electroluminescence, and dark lock-in thermography (DLIT) images is an important long-term goal for developing solar cell technology. These images offer highly sophisticated and detailed information about the spatial distribution and (if imaged at successive time intervals) temporal degradation

The present work deals with an advanced technology for efficient light management through back reflection in thin silicon based solar cells, in particular, single-junction microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) solar cells. Semiconductor nanoparticles (Ag $_{2}$ S NPs) have been chosen to design the back reflector layer (BRL) by embedding them within two thin layers of indium tin oxide (ITO). Owing to

High efficiency silicon solar cells generally feature heterojunction or carrier-selective contact architectures, for which there is current interest in developing structures using a wide range of materials. The electrical and optical requirements that these layers must fulfill have been investigated previously for standard test conditions. Here, we investigate how the required work functions and layer

Different passivation layers on phosphorous diffused emitters have been studied. A comparison between silicon nitride (SiN $_x$ ) single layer at different deposition temperatures, stacks of “outgassing” silicon oxide (that was grown during the moving in/out of the furnace in ambient air during the outgassing process) and an ultrathin SiO $_x$ layer formed by plasma oxidation capped with SiN $_x$ layers

Results for a room temperature contacting method applied to the p-type rear surface of monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cell structures are presented. Monocrystalline silicon devices with the rear contacts prepared using the point contacting by localized dielectric breakdown method are reported with an efficiency of 19.2%. The devices show improved measurements of key performance metrics

Passivating contacts for silicon solar cells can be fabricated by depositing a layer of intrinsic amorphous silicon (a-Si) by the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) onto an oxidized silicon wafer, followed by a thermal POCl 3 diffusion process. This article describes the influence of the main PECVD parameters, power and pressure, on the electrical performance of such phosphorus-doped

Liquid phase crystallized silicon solar cells on glass have recently demonstrated 15.1% efficiency using a heterojunction interdigitated back contact cell architecture and an absorber thickness of 14 $\mu$ m. One of the key enabling developments was a new method to first passivate electron contact fingers with a-Si:H(i) and then locally laser fire them to maintain a low contact resistance. In this

Electroluminescence (EL) imaging is a powerful tool used to identify defects in photovoltaic solar cells. Typically, this type of characterization is performed in the dark using a current injection that equals short-circuit current measured at standard test conditions (STC). Restricting imaging to such a temperature range limits the information obtained about the module and cells. However, it is not

We present a p-type passivating rear contact that complies with integration into standard solar cell manufacturing with phosphorus-diffused front side. Our contact structure consists of a thin $\text{SiO}_{\text x}$ tunneling layer grown by wet chemistry and a stack of layers deposited in one single run by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The layers of the stack were tailored to protect the

Reliable characterization techniques to accurately quantify the metallization-induced recombination losses as well as contact resistivity losses of screen-printed cells are crucial for successful optimization of the contact grid design. Previously, the dark saturation current density at the contact ( ${J}_{\rm 0c}$ ) is often assumed to be constant for different finger width. Similarly, impact of finger

Metal-catalyzed chemical etching (MCCE) is an effective method for making texture surface on diamond wire saw (DWS) cut mc-Si wafer. In this work, microstructures with different depth-to-width ratios were obtained by MCCE on the surface of DWS cut mc-Si wafers. Simultaneously, the influence of etching time and the concentration of AgNO $_{3}$ on etching depth, surface reflectance performance, and effect

Herein, we present a pulsed-laser processing method for crystallization and dopant activation of a highly n-doped amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) carrier-selective layer in a tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) Si solar cell structure. The laser method provides enhanced conductivity and implied open circuit voltage while reducing emitter saturation current density and surface heating, as opposed to

Front metallization of crystalline silicon solar cells requires smaller finger lines in order to collect the generated current from the active area efficiently. Pattern transfer printing (PTP) technology enables finger widths down to 20 μm and aspect ratios above 0.6 using thick film silver paste. This work investigates the influence of PTP process parameters, i.e., laser power and trench geometry

Severe silicon lifetime degradation was found after its high-temperature treatment in III–V material growth chambers for the fabrication of III–V/Si multijunction solar cells. Further improvement of the cell efficiency requires insights into the root cause of such lifetime degradation and how to protect the silicon lifetime accordingly. While the exact origins of such degradation remain largely unknown

We examine correlations between the recombination lifetime and hydrogen content of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films (a-Si:H) and the surface passivation afforded by such films when deposited on crystalline silicon wafers, during annealing at 350–500 °C. Our results show that, as the annealing duration increases, both the a-Si:H recombination lifetime and the surface recombination velocity evolve

In this work, we present scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) measurements of a phosphorous emitter formed via tube furnace diffusion and a laser-doped selective emitter (LDSE) processed by additionally doping the tube furnace diffused emitter. The nonlaser-doped emitter is found to be widely homogeneous along the alkaline textured silicon surface. In contrast, the LDSE features large fluctuations

Subcell segmentation is a method to obtain nearly ideal current-matching while employing nonideal bandgap combinations in high-efficiency multijunction solar cells. By splitting each subcell into multiple semitransparent pn junctions, called segments, current-matching can be satisfied by layer design rather than material selection. This architecture replaces the standard requirement for an optimal

Graphic-carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) microsheet loaded with CuS nanocrystals was coated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conductive glass to act as counter electrodes (CEs) in quantum dots sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) for the first time. The successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method was employed to fabricate CuS nanocrystals in different amounts onto the surface of g-C 3 N 4 microsheets

In this work, polymer solar cells (PSCs) with the configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM/back electrode with different back electrodes of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), and Ag/Al alloy with various weight percentages were investigated. Different electrodes were deposited at the same conditions using the thermal evaporation process on the P3HT:PCBM active layer. Moreover, the effect of different electrodes

Carrier collection and light absorption is a couple of contradiction for polymer solar cells (PSCs) because of the limited carrier mobility and optical absorption coefficient for the organic active layers. In this article, the concept of “bridging for carriers” is introduced by embedding metal oxide (ZnO for electrons and NiO x for holes in this study) nanoparticles into the photoactive layer of PSCs

Materials such as perovskites that have a widebandgap emerge as a potential candidate for the next-generation optical and photovoltaic devices. But these interesting widebandgap semiconducting materials have not been investigated theoretically in a notable amount to date. Here, computer-based experiments have been performed to describe various fascinating behavior of nanoparticles (NPs) such as structural

Cerium oxide (CeO 2 ) nanoparticles (NPs) were mixed with titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) in different wt.% to obtain an improved composite photoanode with better electron-injection property. Using these composite photoanode materials, dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated, and photovoltaic performances were evaluated. For performance comparison, a cell with pure TiO 2 as a photoanode was also prepared

To investigate the effect of the operating temperature on the performance of building integrated photovoltaic modules, two different crystalline silicon (c-Si) module types (glass/backsheet and glass/glass) with two different mounting configurations (ventilated and insulated) were installed in Canobbio, Switzerland and monitored over more than four years outdoors. The differences in the performance

Utilizing large-scale outdoor $I$ – $V$ data streams, the authors demonstrated a feasible, repeatable method to construct outdoor time-series $I_{\text{sc}}$ – $V_{\text{oc}}$ curves. Resulting Analytic $I_{\text{sc}}$ – $V_{\text{oc}}$ curves are validated with laboratory $Suns$ - $V_{\text{oc}}$ measurements. Comparing $I_{\text{sc}}$ – $V_{\text{oc}}$ with real $I$ – $V$ curves, power loss modes

In this article, electroluminescence (EL) imaging is applied to characterize monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules under indoor and outdoor conditions. EL images of PV modules are analyzed to extract dark saturation current density and series resistance for individual cells within the module. These individual solar cells’ parameters together with the terminal voltages of the modules, are

A quantitative physical model for potential-induced degradation of the shunting type (PID-s) in solar modules is introduced. Based on a drift and diffusion approach for sodium ions and atoms, it gives insight into the kinetics of degradation and the corresponding regeneration. A simple drift/source term is used to describe the time-dependent flux of Na $^+$ -ions toward stacking faults at the surface

Numerical tools, such as the finite-element method, are increasingly used to design and evaluate the photovoltaic (PV) modules, providing for the reduction of development time and improved performance and reliability. However, high-fidelity material models are necessary to accurately model the complex structural behavior of the involved packaging materials. A common simplification used in recent years

The study of the effect of soiling on photovoltaic (PV) system performance is a crucial issue judging from numerous research publications. The reduction in the PV system performance is because of soiling that differs from one climatic region to another. In this research, the power losses due to soiling of the PV systems in Malaysia based on the calculation of a dirt derating factor $({{f_{{\rm{dirt}}}}})$

Crystalline silicon solar cells with the passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) design are currently the mainstream cell architecture in industry. Due to the rather complicated device structure, it has been challenging to understand how variations in manufacturing tools cause the observed scattering of the cells' performances. This also makes it difficult to optimize PERC cells in fabrication lines

The IEC TS 60904-1-2 was published to standardize the indoor and outdoor electrical characterization of bifacial photovoltaic (PV) devices. In our previous work, we analyzed the requirements stipulated in the technical specification to limit the unwanted irradiance for single light source characterization, via evaluating two back panel materials of opposite optical properties, and the effectiveness

Plating is an emergent cost-effective metallization technology for depositing solar cell metal contacts. Plated contacts, however, typically plate in-homogeneously where fingers plate higher than busbars and solar cell edges plate particularly higher. The impact of these systematic inhomogeneities on solar cell efficiency and total plated mass is not yet well understood. To generate plating distributions

The limit photoconversion efficiency of silicon solar cells is calculated assuming Lambertian light trapping of the incident solar radiation with AM1.5 G spectrum. Fresnel reflection of the trapped photons from the front surface has been neglected in the previous works. Here, a more accurate absorptance expression is used with Fresnel reflection properly included. As a result, a new photoconversion

This article models the performance of photovoltaic tracking algorithms worldwide, based on the overall insolation collection, by comparing two tracking algorithms, namely tracking the sun (TS) and tracking the best orientation (TBO). In general, the latter is expected to receive higher irradiance with the drawback of requiring a higher installation and maintenance cost (due to the extra sensors).

The photovoltaic (PV) cell temperature strongly affects the performance and efficiency of the entire PV module. Thus, the accurate estimation of the cell temperature plays an important role in the health monitoring and energy assessment of PV systems. This article proposes a multi-state dynamic thermal model for PV modules, considering the heat-transfer mechanisms between the module and its environments

This article proposes an improved maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method that features a simple design, and improved efficiency in fast-changing irradiance conditions. The method uses three consecutive measurements and compares the power difference between each two consecutive samples, furthermore the voltage variation between the last two successive samples is observed. According to the obtained

The Cu $_2$ ZnSnS $_x$ Se $_{4-x}$ (CZTSSe) thin-film solar cells have attracted the attention of researchers due to its earth-abundant composition containing Copper, Zinc, Tin and Sulfur, and Selenide with 12.6% record efficiency (2013-IBM). A 3-D simulation analysis is presented here on the optical, electrical, and thermal characteristics of CZTSSe solar cell using COMSOL multiphysics 3-D simulation

Digital ceramic printing on glass is explored as a solution to “camouflage” crystalline silicon-based solar cells in order to improve the visual appearance of c-Si PV modules for building-integrated photovoltaics; however, printing on the front glass reduces the light transmittance and, thus, affects the module performance. By combining experiments and regression modeling, we quantify the effect of

Although common practice for estimating photovoltaic (PV) degradation rate ( RD ) assumes a linear behavior, field data have shown that degradation rates are frequently nonlinear. This article presents a new methodology to detect and calculate nonlinear RD based on PV performance time-series from nine different systems over an eight-year period. Prior to performing the analysis and in order to adjust

The work presented here uses a novel photovoltaic (PV) parameter extraction method that uses the generalized per-unit single-diode model (PUSDM) of a PV module. In the first extraction stage, the PUSDM is approximated as an explicit nonlinear model (EXNLM). The EXNLM utilizes the experimental current–voltage ( I–V ) data of a PV module to estimate initial guesses. The second stage exploits the PUSDM

The proper monitoring and operation and maintenance (O&M) of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are an integral part of the service tasks required to ensure long-term reliability and prolonged lifetime of the installation. In the recent years, with the end of the feed-in-tariff legislation, the PV stakeholders and operators shifted their focus from the design and construction of utility-scale grid-connected

Radio frequency facing target sputtering (RF-FTS) has a potential to deposit high-quality intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (i-a-Si:H) passivation layers for silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells without using hazardous gases. We investigated the effect of superimposed dc power on the deposition of i-a-Si:H by RF-FTS to improve the deposition rate. The i-a-Si:H layer deposited by dc-superimposed

A potential-induced degradation (PID) test method for bifacial double-glass silicon modules is first recommended for studying PID effects at the particular side of interest (the front or rear). This could be achieved by maintaining the same electric potential between solar cells and the untargeted module surface. Using the recommended test method, PID effects on the rear of n-type bifacial passivated

Titania (TiO x ) is re-emerging to be a passivating material for the surfaces of high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells. Numerous sources in the literature suggest that the surface passivation and thermal stability of TiO x deteriorates with increasing film thickness when the TiO x film is thicker than a sufficient thickness. To circumvent this limitation, this study presents a novel process

We investigated the formation of photovoltaic (PV) devices using direct n-Si/MAPI (methylammonium lead tri-iodide) two-sided heterojunctions for the first time (as a possible alternative to two-terminal tandem devices) in which charge might be generated and collected from both the Si and MAPI. Test structures were used to establish that the n-Si/MAPI junction was photoactive and that spiro-OMeTAD acted

To improve silicon heterojunction solar cells even further, minimizing transport losses within the charge carrier selective junctions and layers is mandatory. With this in mind, we present a systematic quantification of the transport losses of the electron (contact resistivity, ρc ≈ 30 mΩ·cm²) and hole ( ρc ≈ 240 mΩ·cm²) contact of our silicon heterojunctions, which enable fill factors above 80% on

Silicon surface passivation by gallium oxide (Ga 2 O 3 ) thin films deposited by thermal- and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) over a broad temperature range from 75 °C to 350 °C is investigated. In addition, the role of oxidant (O 3 or O-plasma) pulse lengths insufficient for saturated ALD-growth is studied. The material properties are analyzed including the quantification of the incorporated

Field-effect solar cells (FESCs) are increasingly attractive for 2-D heterojunction solar cells and especially for gate-tunable Schottky-junction solar cells. A prerequisite for applying FESCs is that the gate-leakage (GL) power must be far less than the output power. However, the conduction mechanism of the GL current in a FESC has yet to be described clearly, thereby leading to excessive gate power

Black silicon (B-Si) has been extensively applied in the photovoltaic field for its prominent light-trapping feature, but its large surface area also brings plenty of structural defects. In this article, a postetching treatment by using acid mixed solution consisted of HNO 3 /HF/H 2 O was adopted to balance the tradeoff between optical gain and electrical losses on metal-catalyzed chemical etching

In recent years, the incorporation of hydrogen into indium and zinc oxide based TCOs has been recognized as an effective technique to improve the charge carrier mobility and hereby to relax the transparency-conductivity tradeoff within the thin films. On the other hand, the process sequence of poly-Si/SiO x based contacts typically requires an extra rehydrogenation step in order to improve the chemical

We have studied lifetime instabilities in p -type boron-doped mono-like silicon during light soaking (LS) and dark annealing (DA) at different temperatures, and their behavior upon LS/DA cycling at various degradation and regeneration stages. Despite having similar capture cross section ratios, it is found that the defects responsible for the degradation under illumination and in the dark could stem

Light trapping and current losses are critical factors for the performance of a solar cell. The analysis of the light trapping is generally carried out by the optical path length and back reflectance estimations using the inverse internal quantum efficiency (IQE) approach or the simulation methods. Simulation tools, such as PC1D or wafer ray tracers, provide an improved estimation as compared with

Wire on well (WoW) structure, which is formed on a vicinal substrate, has been under consideration for a bandgap adjustor of multijunction cells. The photocurrent of a single-junction cell containing WoW is higher than that of a cell containing planar superlattice (PSL). This work provides direct evidence for the superiority of WoW over PSL in terms of the transport of photogenerated carriers. The

Cost-effective, parallel grids embedded dye-sensitized solar mini-modules were fabricated successfully by utilizing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and rGO-silver (rGO-Ag) nanocomposites as grid current collectors. The pure rGO grids embedded dye-sensitized solar mini-module showed a maximum power conversion efficiency of 4.10% with improved fill factor, circumvented iodide/triiodide electrolyte corrosion

A creative application of using HAT-CN as a hole modification layer (HML) in positive perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is demonstrated herein. This measure successfully improves the performance of devices in many aspects. Although HAT-CN owns a similar position of Fermi level with MoO 3 , there have been proved to be a much smoother interface. The devices using HAT-CN had a higher Voc at 1.10 V over 1

This article aims to present a novel mono-dimensional multilayer mathematical model apt to estimate the temperature of photovoltaic (PV) cells for both monofacial and bifacial PV modules. A dynamic three-layer model (3L-NM) has been developed, in which the contribution of solar radiation that hits the back of the PV module is included. The model is constituted by energy balance equations, one for each

With the recent widespread deployment of Photovoltaic (PV) panels in the northern snow-prone areas, performance analysis of these panels is getting much more importance. Partial or full reduction in energy yield due to snow accumulation on the surface of PV panels, which is referred to as snow loss, reduces their operational efficiency. Developing intelligent algorithms to accurately predict the future

Accurate modeling of photovoltaic (PV) performance requires the precise calculation of module temperature. Currently, most temperature models rely on steady-state assumptions that do not account for the transient climatic conditions and thermal mass of the module. On the other hand, complex physics-based transient models are computationally expensive and difficult to parameterize. In order to address

This article presents a novel method for boundary extraction of photovoltaic (PV) plants using a fully convolutional network (FCN). Extracting the boundaries of PV plants is essential in the process of aerial inspection and autonomous monitoring by aerial robots. This method provides a clear delineation of the utility-scale PV plants’ boundaries for PV developers, operation and maintenance service

Similar to other high quality crystalline absorbers, an accurate knowledge of surface passivation of crystalline germanium (c-Ge) substrates is crucial for a straightforward improvement of photovoltaic device performance. For crystalline silicon devices, this information is typically obtained by quasi-steady-state photoconductance (QSS-PC) technique using Sinton WCT-120 tool. In this article, we explore

Different types of dual-junction solar cells (perovskite/silicon and GaInP/(Al)GaAs) are used in an investigation of measurement uncertainty for electrical characterization of multi-junction solar cells. A method traceable to international reference standards is presented. The spectral mismatch factor matrix is introduced and used with a Monte-Carlo method including manifold correlated and uncorrelated