Scientists within the Netherlands have checked out how TOPCon IBC photo voltaic cells might assist to cut back the influence of shading on photo voltaic modules.
Researchers from the Delft College of Know-how within the Netherlands have investigated how fine-tuning the reverse traits of interdigitated back-contacted (IBC) photo voltaic cells based mostly on tunnel oxide passivated contacts (TOPCon) know-how might assist to enhance the efficiency of PV modules, primarily by growing the shading tolerance and limiting the working temperature of shaded photo voltaic cells.
“Our work had a double goal: on the one hand, to point out how it’s attainable to lower the breakdown voltage (BDV) of TOPCon IBC photo voltaic cells, and however to show how modules utilizing low-breakdown-voltage cells are extra shade-tolerant,” researcher Patrizio Manganiello advised pv journal. “We used this method in all purposes the place partial shading circumstances are frequent, resembling for instance in urban-integrated PV.”
The researchers described their findings in “Low-breakdown-voltage solar cells for shading-tolerant photovoltaic modules,” which was just lately revealed in Cell Studies Bodily Science. They simulated the breakdown traits of IBC photo voltaic cells based mostly on polysilicon and silicon monoxide (poly-Si/SiOx) passivating contacts.
“Usually, in IBC photo voltaic cells based mostly on TOPCon know-how, the emitter and the again floor area (BSF) areas are bodily remoted to stop shunting due to diffusion of dopant atoms into the c-Si base in the course of the thermal processing steps,” they defined. “Nonetheless, it has been experimentally demonstrated that it’s attainable to design extremely environment friendly TOPCon IBC cells with contiguous BSF and emitter areas, the place the p+ and n+ fingers are separated by a compensated poly-Si area, forming a p-i-n junction.”
They mentioned the breakdown voltage could be tuned with out considerably degrading the effectivity of the photo voltaic cell. By a device-level simulation, they declare to have proven that it’s attainable to cut back the BDV in TOPCon IBC photo voltaic cells by merely decreasing the gap between the emitter and the BSF, with out making a shunt.
“Simulations of partially shaded PV modules point out that, if the BDV could be lowered to 0.3 V, then the vitality yield could possibly be boosted as much as 20% for a PV module with three bypass diodes that’s shaded roughly 20% of the time,” the scientists mentioned. “The simulations outcomes are supported by out of doors experiments exhibiting that, beneath partial shading circumstances, a PV module made with IBC cells with a BDV of three V produced a median of 4.2% extra vitality than a PV module with FBC photo voltaic cells with BDVs bigger than 10 V and 6 bypass diodes.”
Regardless of these encouraging outcomes, the analysis group mentioned there may be nonetheless a lot left to be achieved to deliver this cell know-how near business manufacturing.
“The feasibility of producing cost-effective photo voltaic cells with breakdown voltage as little as 0.3 V has but to be demonstrated,” mentioned Manganiello.
