Photovoltaic structures having multiple absorber layers separated by a diffusion barrier are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming an absorber on a substrate includes: depositing a first layer of light absorbing material on the substrate; depositing a diffusion barrier; depositing a second layer of light absorbing material on the diffusion barrier, wherein the first layer of light absorbing material has a different band gap from the second layer of light absorbing material; and annealing the absorber, wherein the diffusion barrier prevents diffusion of elements between the first layer of light absorbing material and the second layer of light absorbing material during the annealing. A solar cell and method for formation thereof are also provided.

A back contact solar cell assembly and methods for its manufacture and assembly onto a panel for use in space vehicles are described. The solar cell assembly includes a compound semiconductor multijunction solar cell having a contact at the top surface of the solar cell, a conductive semiconductor element extending from the contact on the top surface to the back surface of the assembly where it forms a first back contact of a first polarity type, and a second back contact of a second polarity at the back surface of the assembly electrically coupled to the back surface of the solar cell.

A photovoltaic device may include a flexible diode circuit having one or more bypass diodes mounted to one or more semiconductor layers using surface mount technology (SMT). The bypass diode and the one or more of the semiconductor layers may allow the flexible diode circuit to be manufactured as a thin, flexible ribbon, thereby providing efficiency in manufacturing and storing of the flexible diode circuit and/or the photovoltaic device, and also increasing a packing factor and areal power of the photovoltaic device, as compared to a typical photovoltaic device.

Disclosed is an optomechanical system (10) for capturing and transmitting incident light (40) with a variable direction of incidence to at least one collecting element (31, 31′, 31″, 31″′, 31A, 31B), with an optical arrangement (20) able to capture a beam of the incident light (40), concentrate the captured beam of the incident light, and transmit one or more concentrated beams (50) of the incident light to the at least one collecting element (31, 31′, 31″, 31″′, 31A, 31B), and a shifting mechanism for moving the optical arrangement (20) with respect to the at least one collecting element (31, 31′, 31″, 31′″, 31A, 31B), wherein the moving of the shifting mechanism is controllable in such a way that, for any direction of incidence of the incident light (40), the one or more concentrated beams (50) of the incident light can be optimally collected by the at least one collecting element (31, 31′, 31″, 31′″, 31A, 31B), In this optomechanical system (10), the optical arrangement (20) comprises a first optical layer made of optical lenses having an aspheric curvature, and at least one surface of the lenses has a polynomial curvature with multiple orders. Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a corresponding method for capturing and transmitting incident light with a variable direction of incidence to at least one collecting element.

A solar module architecture features a plurality of photovoltaic strips separated from a cell workpiece. The cell workpiece comprises alignment mark(s) located in cell quadrants close to the workpiece edge. According to specific embodiments, an alignment mark is positioned at a break in a bus bar. As a result of this location, in the assembled solar module containing the separated strip, the alignment mark is hidden from view by an overlapping module element. In particular embodiments, the overlapping module element is another separated PV strip in a shingled configuration.

A manufacturing method for a solar cell is provided. The method includes: preparing a photoelectric converter which includes a light receiving surface and a back surface opposed to the light receiving surface and has n-type regions and p-type regions alternately arranged in a first direction on the back surface; forming a groove which is extended in the first direction on the light receiving surface after an electrode layer is formed on the n-type regions and the p-type regions; and dividing the photoelectric converter into a plurality of sub-cells along the groove.

A solar cell panel or assembly including a string of solar cells, each solar cell having an oblique cut corner defining a space; a blocking diode positioned in correspondence with the space defined by said oblique cut corner; a first contact member connecting said blocking diode with the solar cell; a second contact member to connect said blocking diode to a metal bus bar; and a resistive element, connected in parallel to the blocking diode, between the first and the second contact members.

A solar cell panel or assembly including a string of solar cells, each solar cell having an oblique cut corner defining a space; a blocking diode positioned in correspondence with the space defined by said oblique cut corner; a first contact member connecting said blocking diode with the solar cell; a second contact member to connect said blocking diode to a metal bus bar; and a resistive element, connected in parallel to the blocking diode, between the first and the second contact members.

A solar cell includes a semiconductor substrate; a conductive region on or at the semiconductor substrate; an electrode electrically connected to the conductive region; and a silicon oxynitride layer on a light incident surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the silicon oxynitride layer comprises a first phase region having a first oxygen content and a first nitrogen content; a second phase region having a second oxygen content higher than the first oxygen content and a second nitrogen content lower than the first nitrogen content; and a third phase region having a third oxygen content lower than the second oxygen content and a third nitrogen content lower than the second nitrogen content.

A photovoltaic structure, or a photovoltaic structure for a roadway suitable for circulation of pedestrians and vehicles, including: at least one photovoltaic cell; and a non-opaque coating covering at least a front face of the photovoltaic cell and having an outer surface which is macrotextured and microtextured irregularly, with a mean texture depth MTD, measured according to the norm NF EN 13036-1, of between 0.2 mm and 3 mm, and a polishing resistance value PRV, according to the norm NF EN 13043, of at least PRV.sub.44, or PRV.sub.50, or PRV.sub.53.