Design of optimized metallization patterns for front-contact silicon PV cells

对清洁环保能源不断增长的需求为发展商业上可行的光伏产业提供了强劲的动力；特别是通过提高太阳能电池和模块的效率并降低电池/模块成本，来自光伏的电力成本等于来自电网的电力成本(即所谓的电网平价)。光伏路线图设想到2010年满足5%的全球能源需求，到2030年满足11%的能源需求，其中大部分必须通过改进当前的商业硅太阳能电池技术来实现，然后替代技术才能开发和成熟。这需要将硅电池的效率从目前的16-20%提高到2020年的约23%，到2030年提高到约25%，此外还需要继续降低成本。我们的工业合作伙伴加拿大太阳能公司是领先的光伏制造商，2013年的收入超过16亿美元。为了保持市场地位以满足更低的成本、更好的材料利用率和更高的效率，CSI迫切需要过渡到更新的电池设计，包括用于减少阴影和电阻损耗的优化的正面接触图案、叉指背接(IBC)电池和异质结构电池设计。本文建议的工作将最先进的设备性能和资源利用优化计算方法与高分辨率表征技术相结合，开发可用于CSI现有和计划中的制造设施的新的光伏电池设计。设备设计将通过与CSI工程师合作对CSI生产的原型进行测量来验证。该项目将为我们的加拿大工业合作伙伴提供培训高素质人才的独特环境，并帮助加拿大保持在新兴行业的领先地位。

The ever increasing demand for clean environmentally friendly sources of energy has provided a strongimpetus for developing commercially a viable photovoltaics (PV) industry; in particular, one in which the costof electricity from PV equals that from the grid (i.e., so called grid parity) by improving solar cell and moduleefficiency and reducing cell/module costs. The PV roadmap envisions meeting 5% of the global energy needsby 2010 and 11% by 2030,the bulk of which has to be achieved by improvements in current commercialSilicon solar cell technology, before alternative technologies can develop and mature. This requires increase inthe efficiency of Silicon cells from the present level of 16-20% to about 23% by 2020 and about 25% by 2030,in addition to continued cost reduction.Our industrial partner, Canadian Solar Inc., is a leading PV manufacturer with over $1.6 billion revenue in2013. To keep the market position meeting the demands of lower cost, better material utilization and higherefficiencies, CSI urgently needs to transition to newer cell designs including optimized front contact patternsfor reduced shading and resistive losses, inter-digitated back-contact (IBC) cells and hetero-structured celldesigns.The work proposed here combines state-of-the art computational methodologies for optimization of deviceperformance and resource utilization with high-resolution characterization techniques to develop new PV celldesigns that could be utilized in the current and planned manufacturing facilities of CSI. Device designs will bevalidated by measurements on prototypes produced by CSI, in collaboration with CSI engineers. The projectwill provide a unique milieu for the training of highly qualified personnel for our Canadian industrial partner,and help keep Canada at the forefront of the burgeoning industry.