Effects of constituents in paste on low light performances of silicon solar cells

Solar cell performances at low light intensity are practically more important for power generation capacity in the entire life cycle. Previous studies have revealed that efficiency and maximum power of the solar cells with low shunt resistance become lower at the low light intensity. In contrast, our study has demonstrated the effects of paste or glass frit as paste constituents on shunts and recombination, as well as open-circuit voltage of solar cells with floating contact method. However, the effects of the glass frit in the paste on the low light performances of the cells have not been actually clear yet. For this reason, in this study, the effects of the glass frit itself on the low light performances of the cells are investigated. This is because even though the glass frit is an indispensable constituent for silver paste to electrically contact to the solar cells, the effects of the glass frit itself on cell performance have not been clear yet. In conclusion, the glass frit itself makes the solar cell performances lower at the low light intensity, especially open-circuit voltage and fill factor, by causing shunts and recombination, which means that the effects of paste constituents on shunts and recombination are important not only for solar cell performances at 1 sun, but also for the performances at low light intensity.