Techno-economic analysis of silicon heterojunction cell sequences using hydrogenated p-type wafers

Silicon heterojunction (SHJ) cells can achieve a higher efficiency than PERC, however this requires n-type wafers. Recent progress in Advanced Hydrogenation opens the possibility of high-performance SHJ cells using p-type wafers. Manufacturing costs and benefits of two p-type SHJ sequences are compared to n-type SHJ and p-type PERC. The p-type hybrid structure is found to be promising compared to ntype SHJ, the key drivers and uncertainties are the cost of the front low-temperature silver paste and the n-type wafer cost premium. A preliminary comparison between the p-type hybrid SHJ structure and p-type PERC shows that the key drivers are the efficiency gain expected, and the cost of the rear low-temperature silver paste. Guidance is provided on research targets for each technology to be competitive.