High-performance p-type multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si): Its characterization and projected performance in PERC solar cells

Altermatt, Pietro P.; Xiong, Zuhong; He, Qiuxiang; Deng, Weiwei; Ye, Feng; Yang, Yang; Chen, Yifeng; Zhu, Feng; Verlinden, Pierre J.; Liu, AnYao; Macdonald, Daniel; Luka, Tabea; Lausch, Dominik; Turek, Marko; Hagendorf, Christian; Wagner-Mohnsen, Hannes; Schön, Jonas; Kwapil, Wolfram; Frühauf, Felix; Breitenstein, O.; Looney, Erin E.; Buonassisi, Tonio; Needleman, David Berney; Jackson, Christine E.; Arehart, Aaron R.; Ringel, S. A.; McIntosh, Keith R.; Abbott, Malcolm; Sudbury, Ben A.; Zuschlag, Annika; Winter, Clemens; Skorka, Daniel; Hahn, Giso; Chung, David; Mitchell, Bernhard; Geelan-Small, Peter; Trupke, Thorsten

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2018.01.073

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/JPHOTOV.2020.3024739 efficiency of today's dominating silicon technology, however, is fundamentally limited to 29.4% [3]. A barrier that is approaching fast, with laboratory scale efficiencies achieving 26.7% [4], and in industrial production an average around 22% with a 0.5% abs efficiency growth per year have been reported [5], [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Race for Lowest Costs of Electricity Production: Techno-Economic Analysis of Silicon, Perovskite and Tandem Solar Cells

Zafoschnig

Nold

Goldschmidt

2020

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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Approaching efficiency limits for silicon photovoltaics and impressive efficiency gains for new perovskite and perovskite silicon tandem solar cells trigger the question, which technology will be the most economically attractive option in the future. With a bottom-up approach we estimate the manufacturing costs of modules based on silicon, perovskite single junction, and perovskite silicon tandem solar cells. We determine levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) based on current costs, and because the perovskite technology is not readily available yet, project as well future LCOE considering the ongoing dynamic system cost reductions. Furthermore, we use an empirical link between perovskite single junction efficiency and resulting tandem efficiency, to estimate LCOE for both technologies for a given status of the perovskite technology. We find that if the perovskite technology matures to a level within the next 5-6 years where single junction module efficiency exceed 22% and tandem device efficiency 30% using low-cost industrial scale processes, while module lifetimes are comparable to silicon, perovskite silicon tandem devices are especially promising for residential applications, while in utility installations perovskite silicon tandems and perovskite singlejunction devices promise a cost advantage over pure silicon. LCOE reductions of 10%-20% compared to pure silicon photovoltaics are possible.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Race for Lowest Costs of Electricity Production: Techno-Economic Analysis of Silicon, Perovskite and Tandem Solar Cells

Zafoschnig

Nold

Goldschmidt

2020

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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“…Modeling solar cell performances for different cell architectures has received a lot of attention recently [4]- [8]. The lifetime distribution, the resistivity and the dislocation density for mc-Si are the key parameters that are used to predict the solar cell performances.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Investigation of the Optimal Ingot Resistivity for both the Cell Performances and the Temperature Coefficients for Different Cell Architectures

Berthod

Sondergaard

Odden

2018

2018 IEEE 7th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC) (A Joint Conference of 45th IEEE PVSC, 28th PVSEC &Amp

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Compensation engineering enables the achievement of lower ingot resistivities with relatively constant performances along the ingot height. In this paper the impact of the bulk resistivity on the cell performances and the temperature coefficients is investigated for compensated and non-compensated multicrystalline silicon. Based on experimental data we show that reducing the bulk resistivity below a certain value improves the temperature coefficients but deteriorates the cell performances for two distinct cell architectures (Al-BSF and PERCT). Moreover this performance loss is not balanced out by the improved temperature coefficient for operating conditions below 70 • C.

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“…Power degradation of above 10% after several hundred to thousand hours was measured in mc-PERC cells [31]. Avoiding LeTID for p-type mc-Si is crucial to its survival among increasingly efficiency solar cells in the photovoltaic industry [147]. A common consensus of the root cause of LeTID has not been settled [147], [26].…”

Section: Bo-lid and Letid In P-type Mc-simentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Avoiding LeTID for p-type mc-Si is crucial to its survival among increasingly efficiency solar cells in the photovoltaic industry [147]. A common consensus of the root cause of LeTID has not been settled [147], [26]. LeTID in p-type high performance multicrystalline silicon (HPMC-Si) was found to be activated at firing temperatures above an activation point [128] on the presence of hydrogen rich passivation layers [129].…”

Section: Bo-lid and Letid In P-type Mc-simentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although, even not directly related to the cause, metal contaminants, dislocations, grain size and other defects may affect the extent of LeTID [146]. The thickness of the sample [153], the thermal history of processes [154], or the fraction of ingot height [147] can also be relevant to LeTID extent. Therefore, using neighboring wafers, i.e.…”

Section: Bo-lid and Letid In P-type Mc-simentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of impurities in the Brazilian solar grade silicon and LeTID investigations in p-type multi-Si

Knob¹

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KNOB, D. Evaluation of impurities of the Brazilian solar grade silicon and LeTID investigations in p-type multi-Si. 2019. 119 p. Thesis (Doctorate in Nuclear Technology-Materials)-Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares-IPEN-CNEN/SP. São Paulo The cost reductions and the environmental benefits aligned with global concerns about climate change have made solar photovoltaic technology the most installed source of energy in the power sector worldwide. Brazil has the largest know reserves of silicon in the world. Therefore, there is a huge potential for developing a national technology for purifying and manufacturing silicon wafers within an increasingly competitive and efficient photovoltaic industry. The IPEN initiative of investigating the production of metallic silicon and metallurgical route purification required a characterization of samples in different stages of production from quartz to wafer and understanding the characterization methods for silicon wafers taking into account the main defect mechanisms such as light-induced degradation. Metalic silicon is produced in IPEN via magnesiothermal reduction through acid leaching to form a metallurgical grade silicon with relatively low impurities. One more acid leaching step resulted in a specific ultrametallurgical grade silicon. The same acid leaching was processed in a commercially available Brazilian-made metallurgical grade silicon produced via carbothermal reduction. All samples impurities was measured by ICP-OES. The result is a material with ultra-metallurgical grade silicon content with excess of B and P. While wafer characterization was studied, an extensive investigation was taken on LeTID, which causes remain unknown, at Institute for Energy Technology, Norway. Neighboring high performance mc-Si p-type wafers were tested in different firing process conditions. The effects was investigated in terms of defects activation and a corresponding lifetime degradation and recovery at illuminated annealing. A sample with almost fully suppressed LeTID is shown. A new method have been proposed to separate Boron Oxygen-Light Induced Degradation effects of LeTID, enabling to measure even where it was thought to be fully suppressed. New models for LeTID defect formation and suppression are proposed. Both silicon purification and light-induced degradation characterization in mc-Si studies shows a wide range of research on new production routes that may require tailored processes of crystallization and solar cell manufacturing such as gettering and firing.

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High-performance p-type multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si): Its characterization and projected performance in PERC solar cells

Cited by 19 publications

References 13 publications

The Race for Lowest Costs of Electricity Production: Techno-Economic Analysis of Silicon, Perovskite and Tandem Solar Cells

The Race for Lowest Costs of Electricity Production: Techno-Economic Analysis of Silicon, Perovskite and Tandem Solar Cells

Experimental Investigation of the Optimal Ingot Resistivity for both the Cell Performances and the Temperature Coefficients for Different Cell Architectures

Evaluation of impurities in the Brazilian solar grade silicon and LeTID investigations in p-type multi-Si

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