Experimental study of flexible photovoltaic cells and a comparative analysis of the performance of different technologies

The paper presents an experimental study of flexible photovoltaic cells for roof mounted standalone installations. The experiments are carried out using different technologies, including: crystal silicon (cSi) and thin film CIGS cells. Performance of the photovoltaic cells is measured and compared. Results show that despite of the relatively equal efficiency the two technologies, the thin film CIGS modules exhibit smaller sensitivity towards partial and complete shadowing of the flexible surface when deformed. The experimental data is compared to parameters acquired in the initial design of the system. This provides a possibility for a study that accounts the geometry of the flexible PV modules during the design stage.