ADVANCES IN SILICON SOLAR-CELLS

Photovoltaic power generation systems using solar cells are attracting much attention as a clean, new energy system to reduce environmental problems. This paper reviews advances in crytalline silicon solar cells. First, ingot growth and cell processing technologies developed to obtain low-cost high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells are introduced. Recent results include the demonstration of 24% cell efficiency for a small-area single-crystalline cell and 17% for a large-area polycrystalline cell. Second, module technologies concerning structure and durability are discussed. Finally, the progress in performance and cost reduction are reviewed.