Influence of down-shifting particle’s size on monocrystalline silicon solar cells

•YAG:Ce3+ particles with different size have different luminescence intensity.•Particles with the diameter of 15–20 µm have the highest luminescence intensity.•Best improvement in solar cells comes from EVA films with the particles of 15–20 µm. The potential cerium doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG:Ce3+) phosphor particles of different sizes are mixed with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) to make luminescent downshifting films, which are then utilized for packaging monocrystalline silicon solar cells. The luminescence of YAG:Ce particles with the different diameters (3–5 µm, 5–8 µm, 8–10 µm, 10–15 µm, 15–20 µm, and 20–30 µm), the transmission of the down-shifting EVA films with the phosphor particles and performance of the packaged solar cells have been investigated. Experimental results show that the particles with 15–20 µm have the highest luminescent intensity. When the mass ratio of phosphors to EVA is fixed, the films with 20–30 µm have the highest transmission. The most significant increase in solar cell conversion efficiency after packaging is due to the downshifting EVA films with 15–20 µm particles. This research could be useful in the selection of downshifting phosphors for solar cells in the future.