In accordance with one or more embodiments herein, a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic (PV) top module, to be used together with a PV bottom module, e.g an SI-based PV bottom module, is provided. The method may include monolithically interconnecting a plurality of thin film based PV sub-cells, manufactured using a perovskite material and/or a CIGS material as solar absorbing material, in series on a substrate in order to create a PV top module including at least one first PV top sub-module, and arranging metal grid lines on top and bottom contact layers of the PV top module. The metal grid lines may be arranged either above or below the top and bottom contact layers of the PV top module.

A photoelectric conversion device in an embodiment includes a first photoelectric conversion part including a first transparent electrode, a first photoelectric conversion layer, and a first counter electrode and a second photoelectric conversion part including a second transparent electrode, a second photoelectric conversion layer, and a second counter electrode, the first photoelectric conversion part and the second photoelectric conversion part being provided on a transparent substrate. The first counter electrode and the second transparent electrode are electrically connected by a connection part. As for the first photoelectric conversion layer and the second photoelectric conversion layer, adjacent portions of the adjacent first and second photoelectric conversion layers are electrically separated by an inactive region having electrical resistance higher than that of the first and second photoelectric conversion layers.

A solar cell element includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a light-absorbing layer, and a first carrier transporter. The light-absorbing layer is located between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first carrier transporter is located between the light-absorbing layer and the first electrode. The first carrier transporter includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conduction type and a first carrier introducing layer stacked in a direction from the light-absorbing layer toward the first electrode. The first carrier introducing layer is in contact with a surface of the first semiconductor layer nearer the first electrode. The first carrier introducing layer has an ionization potential smaller than an electron affinity of the first semiconductor layer.

Disclosed herein are perovskite based optoelectronic devices made entirely via solution-processing at low temperatures (<150° C.) which provide for simple manufacturing, compatibility with flexible substrates, and perovskite-based tandem devices. These perovskite based optoelectronic devices are produced using an electron transport layer on which the perovskite layer is formed which is passivated using a ligand selected to reduce electron-hole recombination at the interface between the electron transport layer and the perovskite layer.

A method of fabricating an all-solution-processed interconnection layer of a multi-junction tandem organic solar cell includes forming a coating of an aqueous poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate dispersion liquid on a sub-cell surface of a multi-junction tandem organic solar cell.

A solar panel includes a silicon cells submodule of silicon based cells, a front transparent plate and a backsheet. The backsheet is arranged with at least a first conductive pattern that is connected to rear surface electrical contacts on each of the silicon cells. A thin film photovoltaic submodule is arranged between the front transparent plate and the silicon cells, and includes thin film cells in an arrangement with two photovoltaic submodule contacts that connect to a second conductive pattern on the backsheet. The backsheet is arranged for four-terminal wiring with the first pattern for the silicon cells and the second pattern for the thin film cells. The thin film cells are disposed in a first group of cells and in at least a second group of cells, each connected in series. The first group is connected in parallel with the second group, between the photovoltaic submodule contacts.

A tandem solar cell comprises a front subcell; a back subcell; and an interconnecting layer of Cr/MoO.sub.3 between the front subcell and the back subcell and connecting the two subcells in series. The back subcell may be an isoindigo-based polymer. The front subcell may comprise a carbazole-thienyl-benzothiadiazole based polymer. The front subcell may comprise an isoindigo-based polymer. The isoindigo-based polymer is a repeating 2-thiophene-terminated polymer. A tandem solar cell comprises a substrate layer; a layer of PCDTBT:PC.sub.71BM applied on the substrate layer; a bilayer of chromium and MoO.sub.3 applied to the PCDTBT:PC.sub.71BM layer; a layer of P(T3-il)-2:PC.sub.71BM applied on the bilayer of chromium and MoO.sub.3; and Ca and Al electrode layer on the top.

An organic photoelectric conversion element, an imaging device, and an optical sensor, which can detect a plurality of wavelength regions by a single element structure, are provided. The photoelectric conversion element is formed by providing an organic photoelectric conversion portion including two or more types of organic semiconductor materials having different spectral sensitivities between the first and the second electrodes. Wavelength sensitivity characteristics of the photoelectric conversion element change according to a voltage (bias voltage) applied between the first and the second electrodes. The photoelectric conversion element is mounted in the imaging device and the optical sensor.

There is provided a photovoltaic device that comprises a photoactive region, the photoactive region comprising a perovskite material of general formula A.sub.1-xA′.sub.xBX.sub.3-yX′.sub.y, wherein A is a formamidinium cation (HC(NH).sub.2).sub.2.sup.+), A′ is a caesium cation (Cs.sup.+) B is at least one divalent inorganic cation, X is iodide and X is bromide, and x is greater than 0 and equal to or less than 0.4 and y is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 3. There is also provided a method of producing a photovoltaic device comprising a photoactive region comprising the perovskite material, and formulations for use in the formation of the perovskite material.

A solar cell module comprises cell groups each containing solar cells, and each solar cell includes photoelectric converters, N number of which being connected in series, and first, second and third terminals. When the first terminal on one end of a first cell group has a reference potential, the second terminal on the other end of the mth cell group is connected to the first terminal on one end of another cell group, and N number of the third terminals of the mth cell group are respectively connected to N number of the first terminals of an m+1th cell group. The difference in potential between the second terminal on the other end of the mth cell group and the first terminal on one end of the other cell group is 10% or less of the difference in potential between the second and first terminals of the mth cell group.