Crystalline silicon is today's main photovoltaic technology, enabling to produce electricity with minimal carbon emissions and at an unprecedented low cost. This review discusses the recent evolution of this technology, the present status of research and industry, and the. Modules based on c-Si cells account for more than 90% of the photovoltaic capacity installed worldwide, which is why the analysis in this paper focusses on this cell type. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) supports crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) research and development efforts that lead to market-ready technologies. Over the past decades, spectacular improvements along the manufacturing chain have made c-Si a low-cost source of electricity that cannot be ignored anymore.
