Optimization of p-Type Substrate Parameters for Bifacial Silicon PERC+ Solar Cells

Due to its simple and cost-effective process, the bifacial silicon PERC+ solar cell concept has been rapidly adopted by various manufacturers. In this study, we analyze the impact of key parameters on the performance of p-type PERC+ cells, experimentally realized by the industrial Solar Cells group at the Institute for Solar Energy Research Hameln (ISFH, Germany). Specifically, we investigate base properties such as lifetime, resistivity, and thickness, as well as surface recombination current. Simulations were carried out using PC3D, a solar cell device simulator that models three-dimensional effects within a Microsoft Excel environment, enabling the study of bifacial cells under simultaneous front and rear illumination. The simulator was used to model the equivalent J–V characteristics of PERC+ cells. Optimization of input parameters led to significant performance gains, with efficiencies of 22.01% (front), 17.57% (rear), and 29.04% for the equivalent cell considering an albedo of 0.4, representative of desert sand. These results correspond to improvements of 1.2% (front), ~1% (rear), and ~1.6% (equivalent), with a bifaciality of ~80%.