Temperature Sensitivity of Multicrystalline Silicon Solar Cells

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the temperature coefficients of multicrystalline silicon solar cells. The aim was to determine if some cell parameters can affect positively the temperature sensitivity without detrimental impact on the efficiency. Commercial solar cells with different bulk resistivities, compensation levels, and cell architectures have been studied. We report that the base net doping, the location of the solar cell along the brick and the cell architecture have significant impacts on the temperature coefficients. Moreover, we show how the change in recombination mechanisms along the ingot height affects the temperature coefficients. The compensation level was observed to have no significant effect on the temperature coefficients. We also demonstrate why aluminum back-surface-field and passivated emitter rear contact solar cells have similar temperature sensitivities despite a better passivation and higher open-circuit voltage for the latter cell architecture. Finally, we have found that reducing the bulk resistivity can improve the solar cells' performance in hot climates.