The computer program PC1 D is widely used for modeling crystalline solar cells. This paper describes a new version of the program which takes advantage of the latest graphical environments of personal computers to offer improved visualization of cell design and operation, simpler comparison of experimental data with simulation results, greatly increased calculation speed, and improved models for generation and recombination effects. We demonstrate the use of some of these features to explore the importance of trap-assisted tunneling at heavily doped junctions in material with low carrier lifetime, as is often encountered in thin polycrystalline silicon cells.

New experimental data for the minority-carrier surface recombination velocity of n-type silicon, Sp, are reported. The data, obtained from photoconductance decay measurements of the recombination currents corresponding to different phosphorus diffusions, include oxide-passivated, unpassivated and metal-coated surfaces. For the passivated case, Sp increases linearly with surface dopant density, ND, for dopant densities higher than 1×1018 cm−3, while for unpassivated (bare) and for metal-coated silicon Sp remains essentially constant, at about 2×105 cm/s and 3×106 cm/s, respectively. The experiments also allow for a determination of the apparent energy bandgap narrowing as a function of dopant density, ΔEgapp=14 meV [ln(ND/1.4×1017 cm−3)]. These surface recombination velocity and ΔEgapp data form, together with the dependences of minority-carrier lifetime, τp, and mobility, μp, used in the analysis, a consistent set of parameters that fully characterize highly doped n-type silicon.

Manufacturing cost analysis is becoming an increasingly important tool in the photovoltaics industry to identify research areas that need attention and enable progress towards cost reduction targets. We describe a method to estimate manufacturing cost that is suitable for use during an early stage of technology development, delivering both the manufacturing cost estimate as well as an uncertainty analysis that quickly highlights the opportunities for greatest cost improvement. We apply the technique to three process sequences for the large‐scale production of organic‐inorganic hybrid perovskite photovoltaic modules. A process sequence that combines two demonstrated perovskite module sequences is estimated to cost $107/m2 (uncertainty range $87 to 140/m2), comparable with commercial crystalline silicon and cadmium telluride technologies (on a US $/m2 basis). A levelized cost of electricity calculation shows that this perovskite technology would be competitive in 2015 with incumbent photovoltaic technologies if a module power conversion efficiency of 18% and lifetime of 20 years can be achieved. Further analysis shows that even if the cost of the active layers and rear electrode were reduced to zero, a module power conversion efficiency of 18% and lifetime of 20 years would be required to meet the 2020 SunShot levelized cost of electricity targets. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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