Flexible polymer photovoltaic modules with incorporated organic bypass diodes to address module shading effects

We present experimental results on large-area low-cost processed flexible organic photovoltaic(OPV) modules incorporating organic bypass diodes to eliminate the negative effects of shading on the module power output. A fully organic-based structure(organic solar module combined with an organic bypass diode) is essential to allow monolithic inter connection of the bypass diode during the solar module production within the same printing steps. The origin of shading losses in organic photo voltaic modules is analyzed in detail, and guidelines for the design and architecture of flexible OPV modules are derived. Inorganic and organic diodes were tested on their functionality as bypass diodes, and a set of diode specifications to minimize shading losses is summarized. Organic bypass diodes were found to efficiently reduce the adverse shading effects in OPV modules. (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.