A Review on the Development of Metal Grids for the Upscaling of Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules
José Maria Clemente da Silva Filho, Agnaldo de Souza Gonçalves, F. C. Marques, Jilian Nei de Freitas
Abstract
Lab‐scale perovskite solar cells have reached efficiencies as high as the best monocrystalline silicon cells, with expectations that their manufacturing costs could be lower than those of currently commercialized cells. As a result, efforts are now directed to the production of these cells. In this sense, the use of frontal metal grids in large‐area perovskite cells and parallel‐connected modules is imperative due to the low conductivity of the transparent conductive substrate usually employed in these devices. For the insertion of grids, a trade‐off between reduced resistive losses and the increase in shadowed area must be achieved. Assessment of grid parameters is of utmost importance for the assembly of viable large‐scale cells and modules. Furthermore, a direct transfer from grid parameters previously specified for other photovoltaic technologies might not be the best option for perovskite cells. Nonetheless, investigations of grids specifically designed for these cells are still scarce in the literature. Here, grid design, both in terms of metal composition and geometric factors, is discussed, including their development for tandem cells and flexible devices. To provide further insights into the maturity level of this technology, a patent analysis regarding grid designs for perovskite modules is also presented in this review.