An Alternative One-diode Model for Illuminated Solar Cells

A novel one-diode model is proposed for illuminated solar cells, which contains an additional variable resistance describing minority carrier diffusion from the bulk to the p-n junction. This model naturally describes the differences between photo- and electroluminescence imaging without the need for correcting the photoluminescence images by short circuit images. It was successfully applied to the quantitative interpretation of photoluminescence images of an industrial multicrystalline silicon cell, where it provides a realistic prediction of the local short circuit current density. Moreover, the novel model explains a known departure from the superposition principle.