received by the International Bureau on 14 April 2014 (14.04.14)

1. A method for fabricating a solar module, the method comprising:

- providing a plurality of rear contact solar cells (1) having emitter contacts and base contacts on a rear surface of a semiconductor substrate (3) and soldering pad arrangements (13, 15) applied on emitter contacts and on base contacts,

wherein each soldering pad arrangement (13, 15) comprises one or more soldering pads (9, 1 1) arranged linearly and

wherein the soldering pad arrangements (13, 15) are arranged on the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate (3) asymmetrically with respect to a longitudinal axis (17) of the semiconductor substrate (3);

- separating each of the rear contact solar cells (1) into first and second cell portions (19, 21) along a line (23) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (17) of the semiconductor substrate (3);

- arranging the plurality of first and second cell portions (19, 21)of the rear contact solar cells (1) alternately along a line such that the second cell portions (21) are arranged in a 180° orientation with respect to the first cell portions (19) and such that soldering pad arrangements (13, 15) of emitter contacts and of base contacts of first cell portions (19) are aligned with soldering pad arrangements (15, 13) of base contacts and of emitter contacts of second cell portions (21), respectively;

- electrically connecting the plurality of first and second cell portions (19, 21) of the rear contact solar cells (1) in series by

arranging a linear ribbon-type connector strip (25) on top of a linear soldering pad arrangement (13) of an emitter contact of each first cell portion (19) and on top of an aligned linear soldering pad arrangement (15) of a base contact of a second cell portion (21) neighboring the respective first cell portion (19) on one side, and by

arranging a linear ribbon-type connector strip (15) on top of a linear soldering pad arrangement (15) of a base contact of the respective first cell portion (19) and on top of an RAK

1 aligned linear soldering pad arrangement (13) of an emitter contact of a second cell portion (21) neighboring the respective first cell portion (19) on an opposite side, and by electrically connecting the connector strips (25) to the underlying soldering pad arrangements (13, 15).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein no insulation layer is interposed between each of the connector strips (25) and the emitter and base contacts.

3. The method of one of claims 1 to 2, wherein, before separating a rear contact solar cell (1), the soldering pad arrangement (13) of an emitter contact continuously extends from a first end arranged close to a first edge (27) of the semiconductors substrate (3) via a centre region of the semiconductor substrate (3) to a second end arranged close to a second edge (31) of the semiconductors substrate, wherein the first end and the second end are spaced apart from the first edge (27) and the second edge (31), respectively, by between 2 and 48% of the distance between the first and second edges (27, 31).

4. The method of one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rear contact solar cells (1) are separated into first and second cell portions (19, 21) by laser scribing a linear trench into the semiconductor substrate (3) and then mechanically breaking the solar cell (1) along the trench.

5. The method of one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each rear contact solar cell (1) has a size of more than 100 x 100 mm². 6. The method of one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connector strips (25) are soldered to the underlying soldering pad arrangements (13, 15).

7. A solar module comprising a plurality of first and second cell portions (19, 21) of rear contact solar cells (1) arranged along a longitudinal axis,

wherein each of the first and second cell portions (19, 21) comprises soldering pad arrangements (13, 15) on top of each of emitter contacts and base contacts which soldering

2 pad arrangements (13, 15) each comprise one or more soldering pads (9, 11) arranged linearly and the soldering pad arrangements (13, 15) being arranged on the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate (3) asymmetrically with respect to a longitudinal axis (17) of the semiconductor substrate (3);

wherein the plurality of first and second cell portions (19, 21) of the rear contact solar cells (1) are arranged alternately along a line such that the second cell portions (21) are arranged in a 180° orientation with respect to the first cell portions (19) and such that soldering pad arrangements (13, 15) of emitter contacts and of base contacts of the first cell portions (19) are aligned with soldering pad arrangements (15, 13) of base contacts and of emitter contacts of the second cell portions (21), respectively; and

wherein the plurality of first and second cell portions (19, 21) of the rear contact solar cells (1) are connected in series by linear ribbon-type connectors strips (25) each being arranged on top of a linear soldering pad arrangement (13) of an emitter contact of each first cell portion (19) and on top of an aligned linear soldering pad arrangement (15) of a base contact of a second cell portion (21) neighboring the respective first cell portion (19) on one side and by linear ribbon-type connector strips (25) each being arranged on top of a linear soldering pad arrangement (15) of a base contact of the respective first cell portion (19) and on top of an aligned linear soldering pad arrangement (13) of an emitter contact of a second cell portion (21) neighboring the respective first cell portion (19) on an opposite side,

wherein no insulation layer is interposed between each of the connector strips (25) and the emitter and base contacts.

8. The solar module of claim 7, wherein the rear contact solar cell (1) is a metal wrap- through solar cell.

9. The solar module of one of claims 7 to 8, wherein each of the first and second cell portions (19, 21) is rectangular and has a size of more than 50 x 100 mm². 10. The solar module of one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the soldering pad arrangement (13) of an emitter contact continuously extends from a first end arranged close but spaced

3 to a first edge (27) of a cell portion (19, 21) to a second end arranged at an opposite second edge (29) of the cell portion(19, 21), wherein the first end is spaced apart from the first edge (27) by between 4 and 96% of the distance between the first and second edges (27, 29).

11. The solar module of claim 10, wherein metal fingers (39) extend from a soldering pad arrangement (15) of a base contact arranged on one side of the continuous soldering pad arrangement (13) of an emitter contact via a gap (33) between the continuous soldering pad arrangement (13) of the emitter contact and the first edge (27) to an region (35) at an opposite side of the continuous soldering pad arrangement (13) of the emitter contact.

4