Energy Yield in Hot and Sunny Climates: Impact of Silicon Solar Cell Architecture and Cell Interconnection

Abstract

In this work, we investigate the temperature and irradiance dependencies of the power output of silicon solar cell architectures (BSF, PERC, PERT, SHJ). When we compare our data with commercial module datasheets, we find that the temperature coefficient under maximum power point conditions is systematically worse in the modules. Following our analysis we attribute this to ohmic losses (RCTM) due to cell interconnection. Using energy yield calculations we show the impact of RCTM on the energy production in moderate and hot and sunny climates for all investigated architectures. We conclude that maximizing energy production in hot and sunny environments requires not only a high open-circuit voltage, but also a minimal series-to-load-resistance ratio.