Abstract: A solar cell includes a silicon semiconductor substrate; an emitter layer formed on a surface of the silicon semiconductor substrate; an antireflection layer formed on the emitter layer: and a front electrode electrically connected to the emitter layer by penetrating the antireflection layer. The front electrode includes a finger line and a busbar electrode electrically connected to the finger line, and the busbar electrode includes at least a first electrode line and a second electrode line electrically connected to each other. The first and second electrode lines have a width same as or larger than a width of the finger line, and the first and second electrode lines have the width of 100 ?m or less.

Abstract: A photovoltaic device can include an intrinsic metal layer adjacent to a semiconductor absorber layer; and a doped metal contact layer adjacent to the intrinsic metal layer, where the doped metal contact layer includes a metal base material and a dopant.

Abstract: The invention described here is a variable optical density solar collector optimized to be used in a nominally vertical orientation and in synergy with an adjacent, complementary solar concentrator.

Abstract: A method to fabricate a photovoltaic device includes forming first and second contact regions at the first surface of a semiconductor donor body. A cleave plane may be formed by implanting ions into the donor body, and a lamina that includes the contact regions is cleaved from the donor body at the cleave plane. The first surface of the lamina may be contacted with a temporary support and fabricated into a photovoltaic device, wherein the lamina comprises the base of the photovoltaic device.

Abstract: A photovoltaic system able to float on water and track sun includes a floating mechanism; an adjusting mechanism, combining with the floating mechanism; and a solar power mechanism, combining with the adjusting mechanism and located above the floating mechanism. This photovoltaic system can be located on the water surface, and has its floating mechanism to be under water by using the adjusting mechanism and the surrounding water source. The adjusting mechanism can be further used to adjust the solar power mechanism to a specific tilt angle according to the water level of the surrounding water and the sun-tracking angles that varies as the locations of the sun. Therefore, a novel photovoltaic system with simplified configuration, accurate sun tracking and enhanced power generation efficiency can be achieved.

Abstract: An alloy composition for a subcell of a solar cell is provided that has a bandgap of at least 0.9 eV, namely, Ga1-xInxNyAs1-y-zSbz with a low antimony (Sb) content and with enhanced indium (In) content and enhanced nitrogen (N) content, achieving substantial lattice matching to GaAs and Ge substrates and providing both high short circuit currents and high open circuit voltages in GaInNAsSb subcells for multijunction solar cells. The composition ranges for Ga1-xInxNyAs1-y-zSbz are 0.07?x?0.18, 0.025?y?0.04 and 0.001?z?0.03.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion element is provided which includes a semiconductor electrode (108) containing a semiconductor layer (103) and a dye, a counter electrode (109), and an electrolyte layer (104) disposed between the semiconductor electrode (108) and the counter electrode (109) and in which the dye contains a compound expressed by General Formula 1. (where A in General Formula 1 represents a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group and may contain one or more atoms of oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, silicon, phosphorus, boron, or halogen and the aromatic group may be obtained by condensing a plurality of aromatic groups).

Abstract: A photovoltaic device can include a doped contact layer adjacent to a semiconductor absorber layer, where the doped contact layer includes a metal base material and a dopant.

Abstract: Thin film PV cells and strings of such cells that may be electrically joined with electrical conductors or electroconductive patterns are disclosed. The electrical conductors wrap or fold around the PV cells to form an electrical series connection among those cells. The electrical conductors may be formed or deposited on an electrically insulating sheet, which is then wrapped or folded around those cells. By constructing the electrical conductor and positioning the cells appropriately, an electrical connection is formed between one polarity of a given cell and the opposite polarity of the adjacent cell when the sheet is folded over. One or more dielectric materials may be applied or attached to exposed edges of the cells or conductive traces prior to folding the electrical conductors and/or electrically insulating sheet to prevent shorts or failure points.

Abstract: Contact holes of solar cells are formed by laser ablation to accommodate various solar cell designs. Throughput of the solar cell ablation process is improved by incorporating linear base diffusion regions with narrow width, for example as compared to an overlying metal contact. Throughput of the solar cell ablation process may also be improved by having contact holes to base diffusion regions that are perpendicular to contact holes to emitter diffusion regions. To allow for continuous laser scanning, a laser blocking layer may be located over an interlayer dielectric to prevent contact hole formation on certain regions, such as regions where a metal contact of one polarity may electrically shunt to a diffusion region of opposite polarity. In a hybrid design, a solar cell may have both linear and dotted base diffusion regions. An electro-optical modulator may be employed to allow for continuous laser scanning in dotted base diffusion designs.

Abstract: A solar cell module is provided. The solar cell module includes: a substrate; a plurality of unit cells including a first electrode, a semiconductor layer, and a second electrode that are sequentially deposited on the substrate; a first sub-module and a second sub-module having the unit cells, respectively; a first longitudinal pattern dividing the unit cells of the first sub-module, and a second longitudinal pattern dividing the unit cells of the second sub-module; a transverse pattern dividing the first sub-module and the second sub-module; and an insulating portion disposed near the transverse pattern, and insulating between the first sub-module and the second sub-module, wherein the unit cells of the first sub-module are connected in series through the first longitudinal pattern, the unit cells of the second sub-module are connected in series through the second longitudinal pattern, and the first sub-module and the second sub-module are connected in series through the transverse pattern.

Abstract: A multicolor photovoltaic electrochromic apparatus is provided, including a first transparent substrate, a second transparent substrate opposite to the first transparent substrate, a photovoltaic electrochromic device on the first transparent substrate, and a chromogenic device between the first and the second transparent substrates. The photovoltaic electrochromic device includes thin-film solar cells and an electrochromic material on the thin-film solar cells. The thin-film solar cells have different potential differences, and each of the thin-film solar cells includes an anode, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a cathode. The chromogenic device includes two electrodes and a chromogenic material thereon. The cathodes of the thin-film solar cells, which have distinct potential differences, are connected to the first electrode and the second electrode of the chromogenic device respectively.