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Full-Text Articles in Electronic Devices and Semiconductor Manufacturing

A Shade Tolerant Panel Design For Thin Film Photovoltaics, Sourabh Dongaonkar, Muhammad Alam Mar 2013

A Shade Tolerant Panel Design For Thin Film Photovoltaics, Sourabh Dongaonkar, Muhammad Alam

Sourabh Dongaonkar

We analyze the problem of partial shading of thin film photovoltaic (TFPV) panels, using full two dimensional circuit simulations. By accounting for the panel structure and typical array configurations, we can accurately account for the effect of various shading configurations at the cell and panel level. We demonstrate the limitation of external bypass diodes in protecting shaded cells from reverse breakdown, and explore the whole range of shading scenarios and their impact on reverse stress experienced by shaded cells. Based on the analysis, we identify the key aspects of shading problem, and formulate design rules for shadow aware geometrical design …


Reverse Stress Metastability Of Shunt Current In Cigs Solar Cells, Sourabh Dongaonkar, Erik Sheets, Rakesh Agrawal, Muhammad Alam Mar 2013

Reverse Stress Metastability Of Shunt Current In Cigs Solar Cells, Sourabh Dongaonkar, Erik Sheets, Rakesh Agrawal, Muhammad Alam

Sourabh Dongaonkar

Partial shading in thin film solar panels can result in reverse bias stress across shaded cells. Therefore, it is important to understand the effect of such reverse stress in commercially competitive PV technologies such as CIGS. In this paper, we systematically investigate the effect of moderate reverse bias on solution-processed CIGS solar cells. We subject the solar cells to varying degrees of reverse biases and continuously monitor the impact of the stress on dark current. We also explore the relaxation behavior of dark current following passive storage and the long term effect of the shadow stress on power output of …