Abstract: A solar tracking system comprises multiple solar panel modules forming a grid of solar panel modules, wherein the multiple solar panel modules are orientatable to a solar source independently of each other; and a control system configured to orient each of the multiple solar panel modules to the solar source independently of each other based on a performance model to optimize an energy output from the grid of solar panel modules, wherein the performance model predicts an energy output from the grid of solar panel modules based on a topography of the area containing the grid of solar panel modules and weather conditions local to each of the solar panel modules.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a solar cell manufacturing method, a solar cell manufactured thereby, and a substrate for a solar cell. The solar cell manufacturing method involves forming a separating portion for separating a substrate, which is for manufacturing the solar cell, into a plurality of pieces. The solar cell manufacturing method comprises: a step for preparing the substrate; a first substrate etching step for forming a first groove in one surface of the substrate; a second substrate etching step for forming a second groove inside the first groove; and a third substrate etching step for etching the substrate including the second groove, wherein the separating portion includes the first groove and the second groove.

Abstract: There is a polymeric photovoltaic cell (or solar cell) with inverted structure having an anode; an anodic buffer layer; an active layer having at least one photoactive organic polymer as electron-donor and at least one electron-accepting organic compound; a cathodic buffer layer; and a cathode. The at least one photoactive organic polymer is selected from conjugated polymers comprising an anthraditiophenic derivative having a general formula (I): The polymeric photovoltaic cell (or solar cell) with inverted structure shows good values of power conversion efficiency (PCE) (?) and can be advantageously used in the construction of photovoltaic modules (or solar modules), either on a rigid support or on a flexible support.

Abstract: A thermoelectric conversion module includes a base material having heat insulation properties and carbon nanotube yarn that is helically wound around the base material, P-type parts and N-type parts are alternately arranged and are series-connected in an extension direction of the carbon nanotube yarn, one side part of a helix formed by the carbon nanotube yarn is formed as a heat reception part, and the other side part across the base material from the one side part is formed as a heat dissipation part, lengths of the P-type parts and lengths of the N-type parts are shorter than a length of a one-turn portion of the helix, and the P-type parts and the N-type parts are arranged such that respective one end parts are included in the heat reception part and respective other end parts are included in the heat dissipation part.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having an emitter and base layers forming a photoelectric junction; a second solar subcell disposed under and adjacent to the upper first solar subcell, and having an emitter and base layers forming a photoelectric junction; and a third solar subcell disposed under and adjacent to the second solar subcell and having an emitter and base layers forming a photoelectric junction; wherein at least one of the base and emitter layers of at least a particular solar subcell from among the upper first solar subcell, the second solar subcell, and the third solar subcell has a graded band gap throughout at least a portion of thickness of its active layer adjacent to the photoelectric junction and being in a range of 20 to 300 MeV greater than a band gap in the active layer away from the photoelectric junction.

Abstract: An organic photovoltaic device comprises a first electrode, at least one organic heterojunction layer positioned over the first electrode, a second electrode positioned over the organic heterojunction layer, and a thin film stack positioned over the second electrode, comprising a plurality of sublayers of a first dielectric material alternating with a plurality of sublayers of a second dielectric material, wherein at least one of the plurality of sublayers of the first dielectric material has a thickness that is different from another of the plurality of sublayers of the first dielectric material, wherein the organic photovoltaic device has a mean transmittance of between 10% and 100% for light between 420 nm and 670 nm, with a variance of ±10%, and wherein an index contrast between the sublayers in the thin film stack is at least 0.1. A method of fabricating an organic photovoltaic device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A photovoltaic module, having: a substrate, a plurality of photovoltaic structures that are electrically connected to one another and extend over the substrate, each of which comprises at least one photovoltaic cell, and a multilayer electrical connection structure sandwiched between the substrate and the plurality of photovoltaic structures, forming at least one bypass diode for each photovoltaic structure, each bypass diode having: two electrodes electrically connected to the terminals of opposite polarity of the corresponding photovoltaic structure, at least one of the two electrodes extending at least partially underneath the corresponding photovoltaic structure, and a semiconductor portion in contact with the two electrodes via two separate surfaces.

Abstract: Separation of individual strips from a solar cell workpiece, is accomplished by excluding a junction (e.g., a homojunction such as a p-n junction, or a heterojunction such as a p-i-n junction) from regions at which separation is expected to occur. According to some embodiments, the junction is excluded by physical removal of material from inter-strip regions of the workpiece. According to other embodiments, exclusion of the junction is achieved by changing an effective doping level (e.g., counter-doping, deactivation) at inter-strip regions. For still other embodiments, the junction is never formed at inter-strip regions in the first place (e.g., using masking during original dopant introduction). By imposing distance between the junction and defects arising from separation processes (e.g., backside crack propagation), losses attributable to electron-hole recombination at such defects are reduced, and collection efficiency of shingled modules is enhanced.

Abstract: Described are optical devices, such as photovoltaic modules that include features such as solar tracking, solar concentration, tandem cell arrangements, and thermal management to achieve high photovoltaic efficiency. The photovoltaic modules can be constructed using a variety of different materials and configurations or as a monoblock functionally graded structure to limit manufacturing, operational, and maintenance complexities while achieving high performance. The use of thermal management structures directly integrated into a photovoltaic cell can maintain such cells at desirable temperatures, which can be beneficial in optical concentrating configurations.

Abstract: This invention relates to an innovative lap joint plate with solar panel, which includes at least a lap joint plate and a solar chip set as main components combined together. Said lap joint plate is provided with at least one flat portion and a plurality of protruding portions, said flat portion is arranged between adjacent two protruding portions, the height of said protruding portions are all higher than said flat portion. Said solar chip set is arranged above said flat portion. The present invention can effectively prevent the solar chip set from being damaged by the bending and twisting of the lap joint plate by using the flexible solar chip set. Alternatively, a glass plate can be added to the outermost layer (and the bottom layer) of the solar chip set, the hardness of the glass plate is used to support and protect the solar chip set, so that the solar chip set can be prevented from being damaged by the deformation and stretching of the lap joint plate.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap and positioned for receiving an incoming light beam; and a second solar subcell disposed below and adjacent to and lattice matched with said upper first solar subcell, and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; wherein at least one of the solar subcells has a graded band gap throughout the thickness of at least a portion of its emitter layer and base layer.

Abstract: Methods of producing a graphic mesh for a solar module are described in which mesh parameters such as warp fiber thickness, weft fiber thickness, and open area size are determined to meet a target energetic efficiency and a chromatic effectiveness. In some embodiments, chromatic effectiveness is based on mesh count, where the mesh count is set according to a distance at which the mesh will be viewed when assembled into the solar module. The mesh has a plurality of warp fibers having the warp fiber thickness and a plurality of weft fibers having the weft fiber thickness, that are interlaced to form a plurality of mesh unit cells. A graphic appearance is printed into the mesh using a coloring substance, where the coloring substance is absorbed by the fiber material to form the graphic mesh.

Abstract: A photovoltaic panel having a photovoltaic module supported by a distributed support frame is described. The distributed support frame may include a support member extending over a back surface of the photovoltaic module. For example, one or more support members may extend laterally from a support hub mounted on the back surface. The distributed support frame may reduce a span length of the photovoltaic module between support locations, and thus, may reduce a likelihood that a module laminate will crack under a design load.

Abstract: A thermoelectric module according to an exemplary embodiment includes a first metal substrate including a first through-hole, a first insulating layer disposed on the first metal substrate, a first electrode part disposed on the first insulating layer and including a plurality of first electrodes, a plurality of P-type thermoelectric legs and a plurality of N-type thermoelectric legs disposed on the first electrode part, a second electrode part disposed on the plurality of P-type thermoelectric legs and the plurality of N-type thermoelectric legs and including a plurality of second electrodes, a second insulating layer disposed on the second electrode part, and a second metal substrate disposed on the second insulating layer and including a second through-hole, wherein the first metal substrate includes an effective region in which the first electrode part is disposed and a peripheral region formed outside the effective region, the second metal substrate includes an effective region in which the second electr

Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus related to a multijunction solar cell. The apparatus comprises a first sub-solar cell, a second sub-solar cell in series with the first sub-solar cell and one or more quantum wells. At least some of the quantum wells are disposed in a region of the first sub-solar cell, and have a thickness and a bandgap sized such that a bandgap in selected quantum wells are less than a bandgap of a material of the first sub-solar cell and greater than a bandgap of a material of the second sub-solar cell resulting in radiative coupling between the first sub-solar cell and the second sub-solar cell.

Abstract: Provided are a HJT cell having high photoelectric conversion efficiency and a method for preparing the same. The HJT cell includes an N-type crystalline silicon wafer. An intrinsic amorphous silicon layer, a SiO2 layer, a C-doped SiO2 layer, a doped N-type amorphous silicon layer, a TCO conductive layer and an electrode are sequentially disposed on a front surface of the N-type crystalline silicon wafer. An intrinsic amorphous silicon layer, a SiO2 layer, a C-doped SiO2 layer, a doped P-type amorphous silicon layer, a TCO conductive layer and an electrode are sequentially disposed on a back surface of the N-type crystalline silicon wafer. The doped P-type amorphous silicon layer includes a lightly B-doped amorphous silicon layer and a heavily B-doped amorphous silicon layer.

Abstract: A photovoltaic cell is provided, including a substrate and a passivation layer on the substrate. The passivation layer includes first portions and second portions interleaved with each other in a direction perpendicular to a normal of the first surface of the substrate. The first and second portions are doped with a same type of doping elements, each second portion has a reference surface away from the substrate, a doping concentration of doping elements in a second portion gradually decreases in a direction from a center of the reference surface toward an adjacent first portion and in a direction from the center of the reference surface toward the substrate, and a doping concentration of doping elements in the first portion is less than or equal to a minimum doping concentration of doping elements in the second portion.

Abstract: A solar tracker includes a rotatable portion including a plurality of solar modules, at least a portion of each of the modules being arranged in a row and electrically coupled to each other in series to define at least one string. A motor is operatively coupled to the rotatable portion and configured to supply torque to the rotatable portion for rotating the rotatable portion about an axis. At least one electrical characteristic sensor and at least one controller are in operative communication with the motor and with the at least one electrical characteristic sensor. The at least one controller is configured to instruct the motor to supply torque to the rotatable portion in response to one or more signals received by the at least one controller from the at least one electrical characteristic sensor. A method of operating a solar tracking system is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the technical field of solar cells, and relates to a crystalline silicon solar cell and a preparation method thereof, and a photovoltaic assembly. The crystalline silicon solar cell includes a crystalline silicon substrate, a passivation layer that is disposed on the crystalline silicon substrate and that is provided with through holes, a carrier collection layer that is disposed on the passivation layer, and electrodes that contact the carrier collection layer; the carrier collection layer contacts the crystalline silicon substrate by means of the through holes on the passivation layer. In the described crystalline silicon solar cell, through holes are provided on the passivation layer, and the carrier collection layer contacts the crystalline silicon substrate by means of the through holes on the passivation layer.

Abstract: To increase thermoelectromotive voltage of a thermoelectric conversion element with a magnetization direction, a temperature gradient direction, and an electromotive force direction orthogonal to each other. A thermoelectric conversion element 1 is formed by annularly winding a thermoelectric material which is radially magnetized and circumferentially generates an electromotive force in accordance with a temperature gradient in the axial direction thereof. Thus, the thermoelectric material is wound not linearly but annularly, so that a connection line for connecting a plurality of thermoelectric materials is not necessary. In particular, when the thermoelectric material is wound in a plurality of turns, the length per unit area of the thermoelectric material in the direction of the electromotive force can be significantly increased, making it possible to significantly increase thermoelectromotive voltage while suppressing increase in the size of the element.