Solar cells design for low and medium concentrating photovoltaic systems

The solar cell is the key element of any CPV system, and its design plays an important role in enhancing the performance of the entire system. Special types of cells are required in the CPV systems capable of operating at high concentrations and elevated temperatures. These Concentrator solar cells differ significantly from the usual solar cells in the method of manufacture, the overall cell design and their performance. Systematic design and manufacture of the cell ensures better performance in a given CPV system. A number of factors come into play while designing the solar cell for a specific system these include concentration, cell material properties, expected operating temperature, shape, bus bar configuration and finger spacing. Most of these variables are decided on based on some rules of thumb and PC1D calculations. However, there is scope for design improvement and cell optimization by performing a detailed analysis based on the illumination profile incident on the cell. Recent studies demonstrat...