Solar Panel Efficiency and Temperature

[Drakkith]

What affect does the temperature of a solar panel have on it's efficiency? I know they become less efficient at higher temperatures, but is this effect linear? Would decreasing the temperature sub-freezing temperatures do anything?

On a related note, apparently they have invented a transparent, flexible solar cell. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-co...ansparent-flexible-solar-cells-131334623.html

 

[berkeman]

I think the main issue with higher temperatures is that the reverse leakage current increases with temperature. This abstract seems to indicate that at lower temperatures, the reverse leakage current is independent of temperature (which seems strange to me):

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6186548&url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fiel5%2F6177424%2F6185829%2F06186548.pdf%3Farnumber%3D6186548

If you have access to IEEE papers, you can read the whole text (I do not).

 

[Drakkith]

Thanks Berkeman!