Solar Cell Efficiency Tables (Version 39)

This paper presents analysis of the optical absorption in silicon nanowire arrays that have potential applications in solar cells. The effects of wire diameter, length, and filling ratio on the absorptance of nanowire arrays are simulated. The study reveals that nanowire arrays with moderate filling ratio have much lower reflectance compared to thin films. In a high-frequency regime, nanowire arrays have higher absorptance than their thin film counterparts. In low-frequency regime, nanowire arrays absorb less but can be designed to approach that of the film by changing the filling ratio.

Analysis of optical absorption in silicon nanowire arrays for photovoltaic applications.

TCO and light trapping in silicon thin film solar cells

Solar photovoltaic electricity: Current status and future prospects

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Solar cell efficiency tables (version 41)

A high efficiency thin film silicon solar cell and module

According to the present invention, sufficient light trapping effect can be exhibited and series resistance can be kept small, by sequentially forming a silicon based low refractive index layer and a thin silicon based interface layer on a backside of a photoelectric conversion layer observed from a light incident side, and as a result a silicon based thin film solar cell may be provided efficiently and at low cost.

Silicon based thin film solar cell

Large area thin film Si module

We have developed a new light-trapping scheme for a thin-film Si stacked module (Si HYBRID PULS module), where a (a-Si:H/transparent interlayer/microcrystalline Si) thin-film was integrated into a large-area solar cell module. An initial aperture efficiency of 13.1% has been achieved for a 910 × 455mm Si HYBRID PLUS module, which was independently confirmed by AIST. This is the first report of the independently confirmed efficiency of a large-area thin-film Si module with an interlayer. The 19% increase of short-circuit current of this module was obtained by the introduction of a transparent interlayer that caused internal light-trapping. A minimodule was shown to exhibit a stabilized efficiency of 12%. Outdoor performance of a Si HYBRID (a-Si:H / micro-crystalline Si stacked) solar cell module has been investigated for over 4 years with two different kinds of module (top and bottom cell limited, respectively). The HYBRID modules limited by the top cell have exhibited a more efficient performance than the modules limited by the bottom cell, in natural sunlight at noon.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/pip.645

A thin‐film silicon solar cell and module

An initial efficiency of 14.5% (Jsc=14.4mA/cm/sup 2/, Voc=1.41V, FF=71.9%) has been achieved for a-Si:H/transparent inter-layer/crystalline Si solar cell (total area of 1cm/sup 2/). Both a-Si and crystalline Si films were fabricated by plasma chemical vapor deposition at low temperature. The short circuit current (Jsc) was enhanced by the introduction of transparent interlayer without increasing the thickness of a-Si:H layer. An initial aperture efficiency of 12.3% has been achieved for 910/spl times/455mm/sup 2/ a-Si/crystalline Si thin film integrated solar cell module. Reasonably high deposition rate of 11 A/s for the deposition of crystalline Si for 1/spl times/1m/sup 2/ area has been achieved. By applying a deposition conditions of this high deposition rate, an initial aperture efficiency of 11.2% has been obtained above sized Si stacked solar cell module.

Toru Sawada

Papers

A high efficiency thin film silicon solar cell and module

Silicon based thin film solar cell

Large area thin film Si module

A thin‐film silicon solar cell and module

High efficiency thin film silicon solar cell and module