A coated substrate comprising a coating layer with inorganic oxide and pores, the coating layer demonstrates improved anti-soiling properties. The coated substrate may for example be used in solar modules. Further a coating formulation and use of the coating formulation are disclosed.

Discussed is a solar cell including a first conductive region positioned at a front surface of a semiconductor substrate and containing impurities of a first conductivity type or a second conductivity type, a second conductive region positioned at a back surface of the semiconductor substrate and containing impurities of a conductivity type opposite a conductivity type of impurities of the first conductive region, a first electrode positioned on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate and connected to the first conductive region, and a second electrode positioned on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate and connected to the second conductive region. Each of the first and second electrodes includes metal particles and a glass frit.

Disclosed is an opto-electronic device including a semiconducting substrate, a layered interface including at least one layer, the layered interface having a first surface in contact with a surface of the semiconducting substrate and the layered interface being adapted for passivating the surface of the semiconducting substrate, the layered interface having a second surface and the layered interface being adapted for electrically insulating the first surface from the second surface, and a textured surface structure including a plurality of nanowires and a transparent dielectric coating, the textured surface structure being in contact with the second surface of the layered interface, the plurality of nanowires protruding from the second surface and the plurality of nanowires being embedded between the second surface and the transparent dielectric coating.

The solar cell includes a plurality of light-receiving-side finger electrodes on a light-receiving surface of a photoelectric conversion section having a semiconductor junction. The light-receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion section is covered with a first insulating layer. Each light-receiving-side finger electrodes include: a first metal seed layer provided between the photoelectric conversion section and the first insulating layer; and a first plating metal layer being conduction with the first metal seed layer through openings formed in the first insulating layer. The solar cell includes an isolated plating metal layer pieces contacting neither the light-receiving-side finger electrodes nor the back-side finger electrodes. On the surface of the first insulating layer, an isolated plating metal crowded region is present in a form of a band-shape extending parallel to an extending direction of the light-receiving-side finger electrodes.

A solar cell module capable of preventing the occurrence of a PID failure in a solar photovoltaic power generation system with a MW capacity, said system being used in a high-temperature high-humidity environment; and a method for manufacturing this solar cell module. A solar cell module which comprises a protection glass material and a sealing material on a light receiving surface side of a substrate, and which also comprises an oxide layer between the substrate and the protection glass material, said oxide layer containing a metal element and silicon. It is preferable that the oxide layer contains at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of magnesium, aluminum, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, zirconium, niobium and molybdenum. It is also preferable that the oxide layer has a refractive index of from 1.5 to 2.3 (inclusive) with respect to incident light having a wavelength of 587 nm.

A solar cell includes: a semiconductor substrate formed of n-type crystalline silicon; a first stack formed of amorphous silicon in a first region on a first principle surface of the semiconductor substrate; a second stack formed of amorphous silicon in a second region different from the first region on the first principle surface; and a third stack formed of amorphous silicon on a second principle surface of the semiconductor substrate opposite from the first principle surface. The second stack has an oxygen concentration that is higher than that of the first stack.

A flexible laminate of photovoltaic cells is provided, including a layer of photovoltaic cells that are connected to one another; a front layer and a back layer configured to encapsulate the layer of photovoltaic cells; and an outer film of flexible material with anti-soiling properties disposed on the front layer, the outer film having an average roughness that is less than 1 μm. There is also provided a method for decreasing or limiting soiling on a surface of a flexible laminate of photovoltaic cells, the method including applying an outer film of flexible material with anti-soiling properties to the front layer, the outer film having an average roughness that is less than 1 μm.

A method for manufacturing high efficiency solar cells is disclosed. The method comprises providing a thin dielectric layer and a doped polysilicon layer on the back side of a silicon substrate. Subsequently, a high quality oxide layer and a wide band gap doped semiconductor layer can both be formed on the back and front sides of the silicon substrate. A metallization process to plate metal fingers onto the doped polysilicon layer through contact openings can then be performed. The plated metal fingers can form a first metal gridline. A second metal gridline can be formed by directly plating metal to an emitter region on the back side of the silicon substrate, eliminating the need for contact openings for the second metal gridline. Among the advantages, the method for manufacture provides decreased thermal processes, decreased etching steps, increased efficiency and a simplified procedure for the manufacture of high efficiency solar cells.

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems and devices with improved efficiencies are disclosed herein. In one example, a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell includes an active layer; a back-surface reflective (BSR) layer; and a spacer layer positioned between the active layer and back-surface reflective layer.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for methods of making substrates having an (AR) antireflective layer, substrates having an antireflective layer, devices including a substrate having an antireflective layer, and the like. The AR layer can have a total specular reflection of less than 10% at a wavelength of about 400-800 nm, and a height of about 500-1000 nm.