Solar photovoltaic energy has gained great importance in the last couple of years, as its costs getlower and the total installed capacity increases. As a result of this, new technologies are arisingwithin the field, with the objective of increasing performance and reducing costs. One of themis the half-cell solar modules which, among other advantages, are said to perform better undershaded conditions compared to standard modules.This project checks the veracity of this statement. For that, a Matlab/Simulink model capable ofrepresenting the behavior of the JAM60S21-365-MR solar module has been created, andexperimentally calibrated with measurements performed in an actual panel. After the modelaccuracy has been checked, it has been used to simulate various shaded scenarios for standardand half-cell modules, to carry out an equivalent comparison between the two.The results for the model show a maximum error of 0.62% for the reference case, and of 6.06%for the worst 4-module-string simulation. This has been found to be an acceptable error, whichis created mainly as a result of temperature measuring inaccuracies and the rough estimation ofsolar cell model parameters. To reduce it, it is recommended that these issues are addressed.Which module does better under shading has been found to be dependent on multiple factors:The temperature and irradiance at which the module operates, its constructive parameters, thenumber of series or parallel connected devices and the shape and size of the shadow. This lastone is the one with the biggest impact in electrical power output. Because of it, the most usualcases for shadowing in PV facilities have been compared. For equivalent modules, shading in thedirection of the string of a single cell is less detrimental in half-cell modules; however, if thatshadow covers a whole row, it is equally damaging. If a full cell is 50% shaded in this scenario, a20% less power is lost in the half cell module compared to the normal one. On the other hand,shadowing in the direction on the bypass-diode line tends to slightly benefit standard modulesfor equal cell parameters if the shadowed full-cell percentage is below 50%, for both cell androw shading. However, as this value increases, half-cell modules tend to gain an advantage overstandard ones.

Photovoltaic modules in desert areas benefit from high irradiation levels but suffer from harsh environmental stress factors, which influence the Levelized Cost of Electricity by decreasing the lifetime and performance and increasing the maintenance costs. Using optimized half-cell module designs mounted in the most efficient orientation according to the plant requirements can lead to reduced production costs, increased energy yield and longer service lives for PV modules in desert areas. In this work, we review the technical advantages of half-cell modules in desert regions and discuss the potential gains in levelized costs of electricity due to reduced material consumption, a higher cell-to-module power ratio, lower module temperatures, better yields, reduced cleaning cycles and finally, reduced fatigue in interconnection due to thermal cycling. We show that half-cell modules are the most cost-effective option for desert areas and are expected to have a relevant lower Levelized Cost of Electricity.