Chemical bath deposited (CBD)Zn(S,O,OH) is among the alternatives to (CBD)CdS buffer layers in Cu(In,Ga)Se2(CIGSe)-based devices. Nevertheless, the performances reached by devices buffered with (CBD)Zn(S,O,OH) vary strongly from one sample to another and from one laboratory to another, indicating that parameters of minority impact with (CBD)CdS-buffered devices have major influence when buffered with (CBD)Zn(S,O,OH). Moreover, the literature reports, but not systematically, the requirement of substituting the standard resistive intrinsic ZnO by (Zn,Mg)O and/or soaking the devices in ultraviolet-containing light in order to reach optimal device operation. The present study investigates the impact of the three following parameters on the optoelectronic behavior of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2/(CBD)Zn(S,O,OH)/i-ZnO-based solar cells: (i) CIGSe surface composition; (ii) (CBD)Zn(S,O,OH) layer thickness; and (iii) i-ZnO layer resistivity. The first conclusion of this study is that all of these parameters are observed to influence the electrical metastabilities of the devices. The second conclusion is that the light soaking time needed to achieve optimal photovoltaic parameters is decreased by (i) using absorbers with Cu content close to stoichiometry, (ii) increasing the buffer layer thickness, and (iii) increasing the resistivity of i-ZnO. By optimizing these trends, stable and highly efficient Zn(S,O,OH)-buffered CIGSe solar cells have been fabricated. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.