Featured in The burning question – 10-2021

Half cells on edge

Half-cut solar cells have quickly grown to become an industry standard, promising more power through reduced cell-to-module losses, among other advantages. Innovative processes have been introduced to reduce cell damage during the actual cutting process, but even these still leave behind an unpassivated area at the edge of the cell, which can result in performance losses. As cell efficiencies increase, this will only become more of a problem. pv magazine examines the possible solutions.

By

Mark Hutchins

05 Oct 2021

REC Group is one of a few manufacturers to have integrated half-cut cells with heterojunction technology, in its Alpha module series. The creation of newly unpassivated edges, negatively affecting performance, is a growing concern for cell and module manufacturers. | Image: REC Group

Today, the majority of high-efficiency modules on the market feature half-cut cell designs. Cell cutting was also a key enabler for the ongoing shift toward larger wafer formats – full cell modules based on either 182 mm or 210 mm wafers would be a step backward in terms of performance. And if smaller formats begin …

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