Effect of solar cell interconnections on curved photovoltaic module performance

Curved photovoltaics has gained attention for use in well-designed vehicle integration. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of curved PV modules composed of many connected solar cells with current mismatching. The power generation in curved photovoltaic modules with series and parallel solar cell interconnections to the curved surface were compared. First, non-planar mini-modules with different curvatures were fabricated, and the photovoltaic module properties were extracted from the current–voltage measurements. Next, the photovoltaic properties were analyzed using a diode model. Finally, we discussed the selection of solar cell interconnections for practical outdoor applications. Our findings indicate that solar cell interconnections should be a key parameter when a curved photovoltaic module is installed on steep curved surfaces.