Crystalline silicon (c-Si) photovoltaics has long been considered energy intensive and costly. Over the past decades, spectacular improvements along the manufacturing chain have made c-Si a low-cost source of electricity that can no longer be ignored. Over 125 GW of c-Si modules have been installed in 2020, 95% of the overall photovoltaic (PV) market, and over 700 GW has been cumulatively installed. There are some strong indications that c-Si photovoltaics could become the most important world electricity source by 2040–2050. In this Review, we survey the key changes related to materials and industrial processing of silicon PV components. At the wafer level, a strong reduction in polysilicon cost and the general implementation of diamond wire sawing has reduced the cost of monocrystalline wafers. In parallel, the concentration of impurities and electronic defects in the various types of wafers has been reduced, allowing for high efficiency in industrial devices. Improved cleanliness in production lines, increased tool automation and improved production technology and cell architectures all helped to increase the efficiency of mainstream modules. Efficiency gains at the cell level were accompanied by an increase in wafer size and by the introduction of advanced assembly techniques. These improvements have allowed a reduction of cell-to-module efficiency losses and will accelerate the yearly efficiency gain of mainstream modules. To conclude, we discuss what it will take for other PV technologies to compete with silicon on the mass market. Crystalline silicon solar cells are today’s main photovoltaic technology, enabling the production of electricity with minimal carbon emissions and at an unprecedented low cost. This Review discusses the recent evolution of this technology, the present status of research and industrial development, and the near-future perspectives. 

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/292821/files/ballif-2022nat_rev_mat.pdf

Status and perspectives of crystalline silicon photovoltaics in research and industry

The Shockley–Queisser model is a landmark in photovoltaic device analysis by defining an ideal situation as reference for actual solar cells. However, the model and its implications are easily misunderstood. Thus, we present a guide to help understand and to avoid misinterpreting it.

Guide for the perplexed to the Shockley-Queisser model for solar cells

The objective of this literature review and survey is to provide a compilation and assessment of recent published reports for solar-electric device soiling R&D, to extend and update the compendium covering 2012–2015 we published last year. This review provides a comprehensive listing of the publications with references for 2016—with some preliminary 2017 publications that have appeared at the time of this writing. Photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar (thermal) power (CSP) technologies are covered. To guide the reader, tabulated information on the investigative focus of the studies, the location, the duration (if pertinent), the solar-device type, key findings and other useful information within the report is presented.

Solar energy dust and soiling R&D progress: Literature review update for 2016

Methodology of Köppen-Geiger-Photovoltaic climate classification and implications to worldwide mapping of PV system performance

CdTe-based thin film photovoltaics: Recent advances, current challenges and future prospects

The energy yield of 15 different photovoltaic module technologies is measured during one year of operation at four locations (Germany, Italy, India, Arizona) corresponding to four different climate zones. The data are analysed in terms of a linear performance loss analysis for the module performance ratio (MPR) taking into account the influence of module temperature, low irradiance conditions, spectral and angular effects and soiling. This analysis is based on an independent characterisation of the modules in the laboratory combined with site specific data accumulated during operation. The model predicts trends of the measured MPR due to different module technologies and different locations.

Understanding the energy yield of photovoltaic modules in different climates by linear performance loss analysis of the module performance ratio

The electrical performance and energy yield of 15 PV modules of different technologies were studied under four different climate conditions. Prior to outdoor exposure intensive laboratory tests were performed with regard to low-irradiance behavior, spectral dependence and temperature effects of the modules. Measurements according to IEC 61853-1 provided basic information about the non-linear behavior of PV modules. The spectral response was determined and the solar spectral irradiance was measured to gain detailed information about the spectral dependency of different technologies. The weather data was analyzed for each climatic region and the energy yield of each module was calculated and analyzed.

Comparison of energy yield data of fifteen PV module technologies operating in four different climates

Rear‐side spectral irradiance at 1 sun and application to bifacial module power rating

During long-term operation of photovoltaic (PV) power plants soiling of PV module surface can cause significant energy yield losses. These are dependent on the site characteristics such as climatic conditions or surrounding environment, and also on the glazing characteristics of the PV module. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on annual soiling losses measured at two locations: a) Tempe (Arizona) with hot and dry climate, b) Chennai (India) with tropical climate. Soiling effects were studied by means of two mini-modules, of which one has been regularly cleaned whereas the other was exposed to natural soiling. For the first year of operation our results show 3.7% annual soiling losses for Tempe and 2.3% for Chennai. The contribution of angular losses caused by the change of the angular characteristic of the glass surface is approx. 22% for the Tempe test site. Comparative study of the soiling behavior of 3 types of PV glazing (standard glass, standard glass with antireflective coating, deeply textured glass) showed that AR coating is comparable to non-coated glass. For deeply textured glass we observed 7% higher annual soiling loss at Tempe test site.

Soiling and self-cleaning of PV modules under the weather conditions of two locations in Arizona and South-East India

Spectral Analysis of Various Thin-Film Modules Using High Precision Spectral Response Data and Solar Spectral Irradiance Data

Handle everyday research tasks with reliable, citation-backed results

Your personal Research Agent to handle research tasks with citation-backed results

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Meet SciSpace

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

M. Schweiger

Author Tools

Chat about Author