Crystalline silicon cells and modules in present photovoltaics

Abstract

Impressive progress in PV technology over the past thirty years is evident from the lowering costs, the rising efficiency and the great improvements in system reliability and yield. Yearly growth rates in the last decade (2003-2013) were on an average higher than 40%, and the global cumulative PV power installed reached 140 GWp in 2013 and photovoltaic power installed in 2013 overcome 30 GWp. The workhorse of present photovoltaics is crystalline silicon technology. Basic principles of photovoltaic cell physics and technology have been demonstrated on fabrication of crystalline silicon cells and modules, also new prospective technologies. Differences between technologies are discussed and present domination of crystalline silicon technology is explained. The aim is to give information important for understanding basic problems of physics, construction and manufacturing photovoltaic cells and modules.

Photovoltaics towards terawatts – progress in photovoltaic cells and modules

“…Cells based on a heterojunction between amorphous and c‐Si have an efficiency exceeding 22% [23]. Some more details about c‐Si cell technology development may be found in [21, 24].…”

Influence of Semi-Conducting Layers Formation Technology on Electrical Parameters of Si Structures Used in Photovoltaics

“…Experimental research concerning formation and modification of silicon structures, applicable in the photovoltaic industry, aimed at achieving possibly high efficiency of solar energy conversion has been the subject of many scientific discussions [1,2]. Particularly, analysis presented in [3] indicated that there is a necessity of introducing a multi-threaded approach to the solar cells designing process by applying mathematical models including areas, which have not already been taken into consideration, such as full-wave optics, thermal modeling and mechanisms of electric charge transport.…”