A comparison of the temperature dependence of the IV characteristics parameters of hydrogenated silicon pin solar cells with intrinsic layers made of polymorphous silicon (pm-Si:H) and of mu c-Si:H with low crystalline volume fraction has been performed. When using pm-Si:H, higher efficiency and higher filling factors are achieved over a wide temperature range. Diode quality factors of both types of cells show similar temperature dependence. Recombination processes over the whole intrinsic layer dominates the forward current. A change of the cell parameters under illumination is also observed. The transport mechanism of both cells is similar in the temperature range that is important for most applications. Due to its optical and transport properties, pm-Si:H poses a very interesting alternative to mu c-Si:H and a-Si:H in the temperature range of normal terrestrial applications. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.