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Topology optimization of the front electrode patterns of solar cells based on moving wide Bezier curves with constrained end

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Abstract

The front electrode pattern of the solar cell has an important influence on the performance of the solar cell. This paper proposed an explicit topology optimization method for the design of the front electrode patterns of solar cells. The explicit topology optimization method is based on moving wide Bezier curves with a constrained end. The front electrode pattern is composed of a set of wide Bezier curves. The control points and width of the wide Bezier curve are regarded as design variables. The validity of the proposed method is tested on side-contact and pin-up module solar cells. Compared with traditional shape and size optimization, the proposed topology optimization method has greater design freedom, which makes it possible to generate novel and potentially superior front electrode patterns. Compared with the topology optimization method based on the solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) method, the proposed topology optimization method can obtain a clear and smooth boundary and easily achieve the minimum width scale control. In addition, the effects of the initial topology, number of control points, number of the components, mesh resolution, and solar cell size on the optimization results are studied. The results suggest that using the proposed method to optimize the front electrode pattern can probably improve the performance of solar cells.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51820105007), the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (Grant No. 2021B1515020053). This support is greatly acknowledged. We are grateful to Deepak K. Gupta for the discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangdong Key Laboratory of Precision Equipment and Manufacturing Technology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

    Kai Li, Rixin Wang, Xianmin Zhang, Benliang Zhu, Junwen Liang & Zhuobo Yang

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  1. Kai Li
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  2. Rixin Wang
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  3. Xianmin Zhang
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  4. Benliang Zhu
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  5. Junwen Liang
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  6. Zhuobo Yang
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Correspondence to Benliang Zhu.

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Replication of results

All the datasets in this study are generated using our homemade MATLAB codes. The full datasets, as well as the source codes, can be available from the corresponding author with a reasonable request.

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Responsible Editor: Xu Guo

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Li, K., Wang, R., Zhang, X. et al. Topology optimization of the front electrode patterns of solar cells based on moving wide Bezier curves with constrained end. Struct Multidisc Optim 65, 57 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-021-03162-0

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