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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for your effort in modeling the problem! I try to understand your answer step by step. One thing I wonder: Why, when I search for "current matching constraint", do I only find papers related on tandem solar cells? $\endgroup$
    – AskingBecauseIHaveQuestions
    Commented Oct 26, 2020 at 20:30
  • $\begingroup$ Probably because it's a term used in solar literature. But it's just based on Kirchoff's law en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirchhoff%27s_circuit_laws $\endgroup$
    – boyfarrell
    Commented Oct 26, 2020 at 20:41
  • $\begingroup$ The Kirchhoff law is about currents entering and leaving a node, not about currents in series. Or do you mean that this can be derived from the law that voltages in a loop add up to zero? $\endgroup$
    – AskingBecauseIHaveQuestions
    Commented Oct 26, 2020 at 21:39
  • $\begingroup$ I mean that charge cannot accumulate so current flowing through all solar cells must be the same. $\endgroup$
    – boyfarrell
    Commented Oct 26, 2020 at 21:51
  • $\begingroup$ Ah, okay, I understand what you mean! I guess that also follows from the Kirchhoff laws (although referring to continuity equation would have been more clear to me). So one shaded cell will "slow down" all others? That is really interesting!! I never thought about it this way!! My next question (in case I understood you correctly so far): You demonstrated that the voltage has been "added". So does this mean that illuminated adjacent cells forward bias each other? Is there a second way to explain this (different from pointing to general expectations about voltages in series circuits)? $\endgroup$
    – AskingBecauseIHaveQuestions
    Commented Oct 26, 2020 at 21:53