Development of light-trapped, interconnected, silicon-film modules
- AstroPower, Inc., Newark, DE (United States)
AstroPower is employing Silicon-Film{trademark} technology toward the development of an advanced thin-silicon-based, photovoltaic module product. This module combines the design and process features of advanced thin-silicon solar cells, is light trapped, and integrated in a low-cost monolithic interconnected array. This advanced product includes the following features: silicon layer grown on a low-cost substrate, a nominally 50-micron thick silicon layer with minority carrier diffusion lengths exceeding 100 microns, light trapping due to back-surface reflection, and back surface passivation. The thin silicon layer achieves high solar cell performance and can lead to a module conversion efficiency as high as 19%. These performance design features, combined with low-cost manufacturing using relatively low-cost capital equipment, continuous processing and a low-cost substrate, will lead to high performance, low cost photovoltaic panels.
- OSTI ID:
- 304337
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970953--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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