A Multidimensional Optimization Approach to Improve Module Efficiency, Power and Costs

In the design of common solar modules, one of the main tasks is to achieve maximum output power or efficiency. Due to the complex interaction between different parameters of PV materials and module configuration this is a difficult task. The complexity increases when costs attributed to components and processes have to be considered. We use an approach to optimize module power and costs simultaneously based on the cell-to-module ratio which is usually used to describe the impact of module design and materials on module power. We present optimization routines to identify ideal module configurations. We apply five different types of optimization algorithms to the cell-to-module model, to find the optimal values of input parameters that maximize module power and efficiency and minimize the respective cell-to-module losses as well as the specific module costs [e/Wp]. The algorithms applied within this study are evaluated regarding their accuracy towards optimal output of the PV module and their computing power. We optimize a 285 W reference module and increase power by 5.8% and efficiency by 0.45 %abs. Specific costs are reduced by 0.9 ect/Wp.