The present invention concerns a bifacial solar cell (1) comprising a front side (10) and a back side (20), said front and back sides (10, 20) having a respective outer layer (34) made of transparent conductive oxide, on which is placed a respective metallization grid (11, 21), each metallization grid (11, 21) comprising first collectors (111, 211) running parallel to each other in a horizontal direction (x) of said solar cell (1) and second collectors (112, 212) crossing said first collectors (111, 211), each second collector (112, 212) comprising two vertical elements (112a, 112b, 212a, 212b) and at least one horizontal element (112c, 212c) every one or two first collectors (111) or 3 or 6 first collectors (211) connecting said two vertical elements (112a, 112b, 212a, 212b), said solar cell module being characterized in that said metallization grids (11, 21) furtherly comprise at least one respective front or back area (113, 213), said front or back area (113, 213) comprising said at least one horizontal element (112c, 212c) and a portion of the underlying outer layer (34) made of transparent conductive oxide, so that a cell connector can be attached to said solar cell (1) by means of an electrically conductive adhesive deposited on said front or back area (113, 213) without needing a physical barrier for said electrically conductive adhesive. The present invention also concerns a solar cell module and a method of manufacturing thereof.

This disclosure describes embodiments of a receiver component that can support a plurality of photovoltaic devices, which collectively are useful to generate electricity from sunlight. The receiver component can comprise a substrate that integrates one or more bypass elements (e.g., a diode) and a cooling mechanism coupled to the substrate to dissipate thermal energy by dispersing a cooling fluid thereon. In this manner, embodiments of the receiver component combine in a single package the features necessary to maintain performance of the photovoltaic devices, e.g., to achieve sufficient electrical output while reducing costs and manufacturing time.

The invention concerns a method for producing a photovoltaic module, comprising:•—providing a plurality of bifacial photovoltaic cells each having a short-circuit current ratio (B),•—asymmetrically cutting each cell into two portions, such that the ratio between the surface areas of said portions is substantially equal to the short-circuit current ratio (B) of said cell or to the average short-circuit ratio of the set of cells,•—juxtapositioning said cell portions in a main plane of the module in order to form pairs of cell portions chosen such that the front face of the first portion has a short-circuit current substantially equal to the short-circuit current of the rear face of the second portion, said portions being arranged such that the front face of the first portion and the rear face of the second portion coincide with the front face of the module,•—creating an electrical connection of the front face of the first portion with the rear face of the second portion.

A solar cell module comprises a solar cell element, first and second connection tabs, and first and second solder portions. The solar cell element includes a semiconductor substrate, a front busbar electrode, and a back busbar electrode. The first solder portion connects the front busbar electrode and the first connection tab. The second solder portion connects the back busbar electrode and the second connection tab. A distance between the first lateral surface and a first bonding surface where the first solder portion is bonded to the front busbar electrode is shorter than a distance between the first lateral surface and a second bonding surface where the second solder portion is bonded to the back busbar electrode. A distance between the second lateral surface and the first bonding surface is shorter than a distance between the second lateral surface and the second bonding surface.

A method is provided for safely switching off a photovoltaic module comprising solar cell groups, a first conductor electrically connected to the solar cell groups, and a second conductor electrically connected to the solar cell groups. The safety device comprises at least one first safely switching element and one second safety switching element, wherein the safety switching elements are arranged in parallel across the solar cell groups and are connected to the first conductor and the second conductor in an electrically conductive manner. If an error state occurs, at least one of the safety switching elements is switched by means of a switching process, such that a shorted circuit is produced across the solar cell groups. The at least two safety switching elements perform the switching process in working areas that differ at least partially regarding the temperature.

A photovoltaic string may include an open circuit voltage limiter that conducts current in one direction to provide a limiter voltage less than an open circuit voltage of the photovoltaic string, and that conducts current in the other direction. One or more open circuit voltage limiters may be connected across the photovoltaic string or across selected groups of solar cells of the photovoltaic string. The limiter voltage may be greater than a maximum power point voltage but less than the open circuit voltage of the photovoltaic string.

A unit pixel element that acts as an image sensor or a solar cell according to the present invention comprises a photo detector that drives a photocurrent flow, induced by light incident onto the gate, along the channel between the source and the drain; a first switch that is wired and switched on or switched off between the source terminal of the photo detector and the first solar cell bus; and a second switch that is wired and switched on or switched off between the gate terminal of the photo detector and the second solar cell bus, and features a function of light energy harvesting and high-efficiency photoelectric conversion that generates and supplies effective electric power.

According to one aspect of the disclosed subject matter, a monolithically isled solar cell is provided. The solar cell comprises a semiconductor layer having a light receiving frontside and a backside opposite the frontside and attached to an electrically insulating backplane. A trench isolation pattern partitions the semiconductor layer into electrically isolated isles on the electrically insulating backplane. A first metal layer having base and emitter electrodes is positioned on the semiconductor layer backside. A patterned second metal layer providing cell interconnection and connected to the first metal layer by via plugs is positioned on the backplane.

Local metallization of semiconductor substrates using a laser beam, and the resulting structures, e.g., micro-electronic devices, semiconductor substrates and/or solar cells, are described. For example, a solar cell includes a substrate and a plurality of semiconductor regions disposed in or above the substrate. A plurality of conductive contact structures is electrically connected to the plurality of semiconductor regions. Each conductive contact structure includes a locally deposited metal portion disposed in contact with a corresponding a semiconductor region.

Provided is a method for fabricating a photovoltaic module. The method includes: providing a cell sheet having a predetermined thickness, and cutting the cell sheet along a direction parallel to busbars of the cell sheet, to form cutting lines on a surface of the cell sheet; splitting the cell sheet along the cutting lines, to obtain multiple cell pieces; coating, for each of the cell pieces, a conductive adhesive material on a busbar located at an edge of the cell piece; arranging the multiple cell pieces in a preset overlapping manner; curing the conductive adhesive material among the cell pieces, to form a cell string in which the cell pieces are conductively connected; and encapsulating the cell string to obtain the photovoltaic module.