Long term reliability of mass-produced high-efficiency silicon point-contact solar cells under 250/spl times/ concentration

The paper will present efficiency results of high concentration silicon solar cells that were measured before and after 30 months of exposure to /spl sim/ 25 W/cm/sup 2/ sunlight. It is concluded that a process developed by Amonix Inc. provides UV stability to point-contact silicon solar cells under /spl sim/ 25 W/cm/sup 2/ for prolonged periods. Efficiency results are presented for individual solar cells and for modules made up of 24 series-connected solar cells. In particular, the modules are generally over 22.5% efficient at PVUSA conditions, if the optical losses of the lens are excluded.