Laser grooved buried contact cells optimised for linear concentration systems

Abstract Laser grooved buried contact silicon solar cells can be optimised for use in linear concentration systems at low cost. Optimising the groove depth, the copper thickness and the finger pitch by using the Design of Experiments (DOE) experimental methodology can lead to a dramatic reduction of the cell series resistance. This type of cell can be optimised for each application in an industrial line with few changes. For the EUCLIDES III linear concentrator system, optimised cell efficiency metrics for 51 ×116 mm units are in the range of 18–19% at the 40× concentration level.