Bifacial potential of single‐ and double‐sided collecting silicon solar cells

Fertig, Fabian; Wöhrle, Nico; Greulich, Johannes; Krauß, Karin; Lohmüller, Sabrina; Meier, Sebastian; Aßmus, W.; Rein, Stefan

doi:10.1002/pip.2732

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Hence, the bifacial gain of a biPERC cell depends on the bulk diffusion length as shown by the authors in detail within Ref. for other single‐side collecting bifacial cell concepts as well.…”

Section: Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 86%

biPERC silicon solar cells enabling bifacial applications for industrial solar cells with passivated rear sides

Krauß

Fertig

Greulich

et al. 2015

Physica Status Solidi (a)

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Bifacial solar modules are expected to increase their market share in the coming years. To date, most bifacial cells in production and under research are realized on n-type silicon substrates. However, p-type silicon has been dominating photovoltaic industry, partly due to its lower cost. In this work, we present an approach to combine bifacial applications with the industrial p-type passivated emitter and rear (PERC) structure: a bifacial PERC cell (biPERC). Simulation results are presented that showcase a high potential for bifacial gains of the biPERC cell. First experimental results of the biPERC concept on large-area multicrystalline silicon substrates yield a monofacial efficiency of 17.8%. The biPERC cell, therefore, is an easy-to-apply modification to a PERC route and enables higher output powers due to bifacial applicability

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Section: Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 86%

biPERC silicon solar cells enabling bifacial applications for industrial solar cells with passivated rear sides

Krauß

Fertig

Greulich

et al. 2015

Physica Status Solidi (a)

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“…Concerning bifacial cell performance, the same nomenclature as in the accompanying paper is used. Conversion efficiency η is defined as the ratio of electrically extracted power and irradiated power P irr falling onto the PV device .…”

Section: Nomenclature For Bifacial Cell and Module Operationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The cost analysis is based on in‐depth numerical device simulations of the bifacial potential in terms of output power density of the PERT and the recently introduced ‘BOth Sides COllecting and COntacted’ (BOSCO) solar cell concepts. The details of the numerical simulations are discussed extensively in an accompanying paper , along with experimental data. For the PERT cell, different process sequences including co‐diffusion and sequential diffusion are considered and the implied material offset by using n ‐ instead of p ‐type Czochralski‐grown silicon (Cz‐Si) substrates is quantified.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic feasibility of bifacial silicon solar cells

Fertig

Nold

Wöhrle

et al. 2016

Progress in Photovoltaics

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Bifacial solar cells and modules are a promising approach to increase the energy output of photovoltaic systems, and therefore decrease levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). This work discusses the bifacial silicon solar cell concepts PERT (passivated emitter, rear totally diffused) and BOSCO (both sides collecting and contacted) in terms of expected module cost and LCOE based on in-depth numerical device simulation and advanced cost modelling. As references, Al-BSF (aluminium back-surface field) and PERC (passivated emitter and rear) cells with local rear-side contacts are considered. In order to exploit their bifacial potential, PERT structures (representing cells with single-sided emitter) are shown to require bulk diffusion lengths of more than three times the cell thickness. For the BOSCO concept (representing cells with double-sided emitter), diffusion lengths of half the cell thickness are sufficient to leverage its bifacial potential. In terms of nominal LCOE, BOSCO cells are shown to be cost-competitive under monofacial operation compared with an 18% efficient (≙ pMPP = 18 mW/cm2) multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) Al-BSF cell and a 19% mc-Si PERC cell for maximum output power densities of pMPP ≥ 17.3 mW/cm2 and pMPP ≥ 18.1 mW/cm2, respectively. These values assume the use of $10/kg silicon feedstock for the BOSCO and $20/kg for the Al-BSF and PERC cells. For the PERT cell, corresponding values are pMPP ≥ 21.7 mW/cm2 and pMPP ≥ 22.7 mW/cm2, respectively, assuming the current price offset (≈50%, at the time of October 2014) of n-type Czochralski-grown silicon (Cz-Si) compared with mc-Si wafers. The material price offset of n-type to p-type Cz-Si wafers (≈15%, October 2014) currently accounts for approximately 1 mW/cm2, which correlates to a conversion efficiency difference of 1%abs for monofacial illumination with 1 sun. From p-type mc-Si to p-type Cz-Si (≈30% wafer price offset, October 2014), this offset is approximately 2.5 mW/cm2 for a PERT cell. When utilizing bifacial operation, these required maximum output power densities can be transformed into required minimum rear-side illumination intensities for arbitrary front-side efficiencies ηfront by means of the performed numerical simulations. For a BOSCO cell with ηfront = 18%, minimum rear-side illumination intensities of ≤ 0.02 suns are required to match a 19% PERC cell in terms of nominal LCOE. For an n-type Cz-Si PERT cell with ηfront = 21%, corresponding values are ≤ 0.11 suns with 0.05 suns being the n-type to p-type material price offset. This work strongly motivates the use of bifacial concepts to generate lowest LCOE

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“…For a monofacial irradiance of 1000 W m À2 , p out and η have identical numerical values (see also Refs. [26,27] ). The IV measurement results for the most efficient pSPEER solar cells from each busbar layout are summarized in Table 1.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bifacial p‐Type Silicon Shingle Solar Cells − the “pSPEER” Concept

et al. 2018

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Shingled interconnection of solar cells allows increased output power density pout by (i) increasing the active cell area within the module, (ii) decreasing shading losses, and (iii) reducing both series resistance per cell as well as interconnection losses. An additional increase in pout is possible by shingled interconnection using bifacial solar cells, allowing the light capture from the rear side as well. The “p‐type silicon shingled passivated edge, emitter, and rear (pSPEER)” solar cell concept introduced and examined in this work as an approach for fabrication of bifacial shingle solar cells is based on the passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) concept. This article portrays bifacial pSPEER solar cells that are fabricated using industrial 6‐inch p‐type Czochralski‐grown silicon PERC precursors. After contact firing, the 6‐inch host wafers are separated by means of conventional laser scribing and manual mechanical cleaving into six pSPEER solar cells each with an area of 23 × 148 mm2. Current‐voltage measurements of these bifacial pSPEER solar cells with front side illumination yield peak pout,f = 20.4 mW cm−2 on a black background (total cell area, busbar included). For an irradiance of 1000 W m−2, this pout,f is equivalent to an energy conversion efficiency of 20.4%. By additional rear side illumination with an irradiance of 100 W m−2, peak pout = 21.5 mW cm−2 is obtained for these pSPEER solar cells.

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Bifacial potential of single‐ and double‐sided collecting silicon solar cells

Cited by 16 publications

References 40 publications

biPERC silicon solar cells enabling bifacial applications for industrial solar cells with passivated rear sides

biPERC silicon solar cells enabling bifacial applications for industrial solar cells with passivated rear sides

Economic feasibility of bifacial silicon solar cells

Bifacial p‐Type Silicon Shingle Solar Cells − the “pSPEER” Concept

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