Enhancing solar cell efficiency through contact replacement with advanced material

Ahmad Zhahirin Adly Bin Yaakob; Sim Sy Yi; Kah Haw Law; Muhammad Aliff Hafeez Bin Azman; Alvin John Lim Meng Siang; Nur Sabrina Binti Azli Murzami

doi:10.2478/jee-2025-0042

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of electrical contact placement and absorber materials on solar cell efficiency. Conventional front-contact designs cause shading losses, reducing light absorption. Using COMSOL Multiphysics, front-contact and back-contact solar cells were modelled with crystalline silicon and perovskite absorbers. Back-contact designs relocate all contacts to the rear, eliminating shading and improving absorption. Simulations under standard test conditions evaluated short-circuit current density, open-circuit voltage, output power density, and efficiency. Back-contact perovskite cells achieved the highest efficiency (20%), followed by back-contact crystalline silicon (13%) and front-contact crystalline silicon (10%). Results show that combining advanced materials with optimized contact layouts significantly enhances performance, providing valuable guidance for the design of efficient, scalable photovoltaic technologies.

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Enhancing solar cell efficiency through contact replacement with advanced material

Abstract

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