Detailed power loss/gain characterization of PV modules with multi-busbar, half-cut cells and light-trapping ribbon

摘要

Compared with three-busbar (3-BB) full-cell designs, the use of multi-busbar and half-cut cell technologies can significantly reduce resistive losses and thus allow higher cell and module efficiencies. At the same time, there is a net reduction in silver paste consumption for the electrodes of the solar cells. In addition to these approaches, light-trapping ribbon (LTR) has also shown potential for improving PV module performance. This paper presents a detailed simulation- and experiment-based study of the power gain arising from the implementation of multi-busbar, half-cut and LTR approaches. Both cell and module performance were modelled using a 2D finite-element grid modelling software package (Griddler) developed by SERIS. Several single-cell and large-size modules were fabricated, and the performances of various module designs were compared. On the basis of the results from the experiments and simulations, the optimum design (number of busbars, busbar width, number of fingers, etc.) of the cell/module was determined. The results show that, compared with a widely used 3-BB full-size cell module, an optimized multi-busbar halved-cell module with LTR can enhance the module performance by more than 5%. Finally, an economic analysis considering the change in the design is presented.