Innovations in Silicon-Based Solar Cells

Dear Colleagues,

The global transition towards sustainable energy has positioned the solar photovoltaic industry as a leader in the electricity sector. Silicon-based solar cells, which are central to this shift, offer a proven and scalable solution for solar energy harnessing. As guest editors for this Special Issue, our focus is on exploring the latest developments in silicon solar cell technology, ranging from ingots, silicon wafers, solar cells, modules, and also covering the end-of-life management of PV modules.

Silicon solar cells, as one of the most mature and widely deployed technologies, have seen continuous enhancements in efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and reliability due to impressive innovative progress throughout its supply chain. Advances in the bulk quality of ingots or wafers and in surface passivation techniques play a pivotal role in improving overall performance. Authors are encouraged to contribute research assessing the current industrial ingots and wafer quality, and novel surface passivation methodologies addressing recombination losses, carrier lifetime improvements, and overall efficiency boosting.

Defect engineering and impurity gettering are crucial for optimizing silicon solar cells. Authors are invited to contribute research on innovative defect engineering strategies for understanding, controlling, and minimizing defects within the absorbing material for achieving high-performance devices.

Silicon Heterojunction (SHJ) and Tunnel Oxide-Passivated Contact (TOPCon) are advanced cell architectures that are gaining great prominence. These designs aim to reduce resistive losses, enhance carrier selectivity, and improve electrical characteristics. Authors are encouraged to present original research and insights into the development, optimization, and performance of SHJ and TOPCon technologies in various architectures.

The PV industry is rapidly adopting advanced solar cell technologies. However, studies on the long-term performance reliability of these technologies remain limited. Authors are encouraged to contribute their latest research in this area, including long-term or accelerated performance tests, potential defect identification and analysis, and mitigation strategies. We aims to foster a deeper understanding of the durability and reliability of advanced solar cell technologies, which is crucial for their widespread adoption and for the success of Si-PV technologies.

The tandem solar cell field focuses on combining perovskite materials with silicon to exploit complementary absorption spectra, showing potential to surpass standalone silicon solar cell efficiency limits. Authors are invited to share contributions on challenges, opportunities, and advancements in perovskite–silicon tandem solar cells, including material integration, stability, and scalability.

Modelling has become indispensable for designing and optimizing silicon solar cells. Authors are encouraged to incorporate modelling aspects in their research, providing insights into their theoretical foundations and predictions for future advancements.

The deployment of PV modules is rapidly approaching an annual terawatt level, leading to the production and deployment of billions of PV modules each year. Consequently, a substantial volume of PV modules is expected to enter the waste stream in the near future. Authors are invited to contribute their research on the identification, analysis, and mitigation of end-of-life management challenges for PV modules, with a focus on circular economy principles. This call for contributions aims to address the growing importance of sustainable and circular practices in managing the end-of-life phase of PV modules within the broader context of renewable energy.

Dr. Rabin Basnet
Dr. Mohamed M. Shehata
Guest Editors

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• silicon surface passivation
• carrier-selective contacts
• passivating contacts
• defect engineering
• silicon solar cells
• thin-film silicon solar cells
• tandem-based silicon
• simulation-based optimization
• module degradation
• Si-PV recycling