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					</table><p>Research has found that perovskites may be combined with silicon-based semiconductors to create “tandem” solar cells that can surpass the maximum theoretical efficiency of silicon solar cells.</p>
<p>This could further enable solar cells to be two to four times cheaper when compared to thin-film solar cells.</p>
<p>While perovskites can be produced at lower temperatures, making solar energy technologies cheaper and more environmentally friendly, they are less efficient when exposed to heat, moisture, and air. So, the lifespan of perovskite currently is too short to be commercially competitive in solar panels.</p>
<p>To prevent perovskite semiconductors from degrading quickly, a team at the <a href="https://umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Michigan</a><u>,</u> in their latest study published in the journal Matter, have found a way to make the perovskite film last longer.</p>
<p>“Silicon solar cells are great because they are very efficient and can last for a very long time, but the high efficiency comes with a high cost. To make high-purity silicon, temperatures over 1,000 degrees Celsius are needed. Otherwise, the efficiency won’t be as good,” said Xiamen Gong, assistant professor of chemical engineering.</p>
<p>This research aims to make perovskite solar cells harder and suggests how bulky molecules are best at increasing the perovskites’ stability and overall lifespan.</p>
<p>To do this, the team created three additives with various shapes and sizes and added them into thin films of perovskite crystals, which can absorb light and convert it to electricity. They measured how strongly the different additives interacted with perovskites and consequently influenced the formation of defects in the films. They found that perovskite films heated to over 200 degrees Celsius confirmed that bulky additives helped the films retain more of their characteristic slate-black color and develop fewer structural defects.</p>
<p>Last July, scientists from IIT-Bombay <a href="https://mercomindia.com/iit-26-efficiency-perovskite-silicon-solar-cell#:~:text=Also,%20perovskites%20degrade%20over%20time,cells%20to%20attain%20enhanced%20efficiency." target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that the tandem approach can combine both the perovskite and silicon solar cells to attain enhanced efficiency.</p>
<p>The National Renewable Energy Laboratory also <u><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/one-step-perovskite-solar-cells-commercially-viable#:~:text=Perovskite%20solar%20cells%20comprise%20a,layer%20that%20pulls%20positive%20charges." target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> </u>a scalable solution in one-step coating that can increase the commercialization of perovskite solar cells.</p>


Study Finds Adding Bulky Molecules Makes Perovskite Solar Cells Last Longer


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					</table><p>Scientists at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (<a href="https://www.kaust.edu.sa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KAUST</a>) claimed to have developed a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell with a record energy conversion efficiency of 33.2%.</p>
<p>Certified by the European Solar Test Installation (<a href="https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/european-solar-test-installation_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESTI</a>), the efficiency achieved at the KAUST Solar Center has been listed on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (<a href="https://www.nrel.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NREL</a>) Best Research-cell Efficiency Chart.</p>
<p>Researchers combined perovskite top cells on industrially compatible, two-sided, textured silicon bottom cells to obtain the tandem solar cell.</p>
<p>They observed that the perovskite top layer absorbed blue light best, while the silicon foundation absorbed red light best.</p>
<p>The KASUT team has been working on how to uniformly cover the micrometer-sized pyramidal surface of silicon cells with perovskite material since 2016.</p>
<p>The scientists concluded that combining these materials maximized the capture and conversion of sunlight into electricity more efficiently than the conventional single-junction silicon analogs.</p>
<p>Professor of Material Science and Engineering and Interim Associate Director of the KAUST Solar Center Stefaan De Wolf said, “This new record is the highest power conversion efficiency of any two-junction solar cell under non-concentrated light, attesting the tremendous promise of perovskite/silicon tandems to deliver ultra-high performance photovoltaic modules, which is critical to rapidly achieve renewable energy goals towards combatting climate change.”</p>
<p>The research is a significant breakthrough in the field of solar energy at a time when market predictions estimate the tandem perovskite/silicon technologies will comprise over $10 billion of the global photovoltaic market share by 2032.</p>
<p>The KAUST team is exploring scalable methods to produce industrial-scale perovskite/silicon tandem cells with areas exceeding 240 square centimeters. The researchers are also working on strategies to obtain highly stable tandem devices that will pass the critical industrial stability protocols.</p>
<p>The efficiency achieved by the KASUT team also <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/tandem-solar-cell-achieves-world-conversion-efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surpassed</a> the earlier record of 32.5% achieved by researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for tandem solar cells.</p>
<p>Last month, Italy-based renewable energy company Enel Green Power, researchers at the National Solar Energy Institute, and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission claimed to have <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-show-tandem-perovskite-solar-cell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">achieved</a> a power conversion efficiency of 26.5% for a 2-terminal tandem perovskite solar cell.</p>


Scientists Achieve Record 33.2% Efficiency for Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Solar Cells


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					</table><p>Italy-based renewable energy company <a href="https://www.enelgreenpower.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enel Green Power</a>, researchers at the National Solar Energy Institute (<a href="https://www.ines-solaire.org/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">INES</a>), and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (<a href="https://www.cea.fr/english/Pages/Welcome.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CEA</a>) claimed to have achieved a power conversion efficiency of 26.5% for a 2-terminal tandem perovskite solar cell.</p>
<p>The improved efficiency in the collaborative research was obtained for a PIN architecture cell in the device with an active area of 9 cm² and an open-circuit voltage of over 1,880 Mv, with shading correction.</p>
<p>The PIN architecture also helped the collaboration adapt the heterojunction silicon cell produced on the CEA pilot line for its tandem integration.</p>
<p>The researchers said that integrating a P layer allows the deposition of halogenated organometallic perovskite (PK) material without any initial treatment and the optimization of the N-type transport layers.</p>
<p>The collaboration further explored tandem technology to achieve high yields in conventional photovoltaic formats with processes that would allow their industrialization.</p>
<p>The 26.5% efficiency achieved in the above experiment surpassed the earlier conversion efficiencies of 24.9% and 25.8%, achieved on the same active area of 9 cm².</p>
<p>The teams from Enel and CEA are studying the photovoltaic properties of PK materials. They claimed these materials could help achieve conversion efficiencies above 30% by combining them with a lower band-gap material like silicon.</p>
<p>Enel Green Power and its subsidiary 3SUN at Catania in Italy are collaborating with CEA at INES to develop the tandem perovskite-silicon technology with two terminals. A statement by INES said that the work aims to achieve the highest industrially feasible efficiencies in record time.</p>
<p>In the study, the researchers focus on two routes, a NIP-type architecture, wherein they claimed to have achieved a record efficiency of 23.7% on the active surface. The second route, a PIN-type architecture, has been studied since 2021.</p>
<p>Last November, Enel said it <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-enel-to-build-a-3-gw-solar-module-facility-in-the-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intends</a> to build a 3 GW industrial-scale solar module production facility in the United States through its subsidiary 3Sun USA.</p>
<p>In another research, experts at TNO, TU Eindhoven, imec, and TU Delft, partners in Solliance, a solar research institute in the Netherlands, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/four-terminal-architecture-push-perovskite-solar-cell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> to have pushed the conversion efficiency of tandem solar cells to more than 30%. This efficiency, they said, is beyond the limits of today’s commercial photovoltaic modules and enables more power per square meter and less cost per kWh.</p>


Researchers Show 26.5% Efficiency in 2-Terminal Tandem Perovskite Solar Cell


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					</table><p>The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (<a href="https://arena.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ARENA</a>) has awarded AU$2.78 million (~$1.9 million) in funding to the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Sydney</a> which has partnered with solar technology company <a href="https://www.sundrivesolar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SunDrive</a> for research to accelerate the commercialization of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells.</p>
<p>ARENA’s funding is part of a multi-million-dollar national financial support aimed at stacking perovskite atop silicon to form tandem solar cells, rather than using only silicon which has limited stability and efficiency.</p>
<p>“The idea of this stacking is to convert more energy from the sun to electrical power. There isn’t much room for silicon to improve because its theoretical limit is only 30%, but for perovskite-silicon tandem, it is 40%. The efficiency that can be achieved by a perovskite-silicon tandem in a laboratory is now over 30%, while the highest efficiency for a silicon cell on its own is just below 27% in the laboratory and around 23% commercially,” said Anita Ho-Baillie of the University of Sydney.</p>
<p>She added that the funding will be used to improve the durability of perovskite solar cells, particularly under the combination of thermal and light stress.</p>
<p>While studies are still being conducted to achieve balanced stability in perovskite solar cells, their efficiencies are already <a href="https://mercomindia.com/scientists-claim-efficiency-perovskite-silicon-tandem-cell-large-area/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approaching</a> those of silicon solar cells.</p>
<p>Perovskites are crystal structures made from mineral compounds, and the metal halide version is particularly useful for solar-cell applications.</p>
<p>University of Sydney’s Vice-Chancellor and President Mark Scott said, “This funding aligns with the University’s mission of supporting world-leading research, working with industries, to address global challenges, such as providing sustainable energy generation solutions captured in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.”</p>
<p>The scientists in the research will use SunDrive’s expertise to develop industry-relevant manufacturing processes that serve to be cost-effective for mass commercialization. The company has made advancements in transcending lab-scale proof-of-concept to commercial, full-size solar panel fabrication.</p>
<div id="attachment_47299" style="width: 612px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-47299" class="wp-image-47299 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Picture1-1.png" alt="Anita Ho-Baillie with a solar cell (Source: University of Sydney)" width="602" height="417" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Picture1-1.png 602w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Picture1-1-300x208.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Picture1-1-600x416.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px" /><p id="caption-attachment-47299" class="wp-caption-text">Anita Ho-Baillie with a solar cell (Source: University of Sydney)</p></div>
<p>In October 2022, SunDrive <a href="https://mercomindia.com/funding-and-ma-roundup-yellow-door-energy-funding-round/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised</a> AU$ 21 million (~$13 million) from Clean Energy Finance Corp with Main Sequence Ventures, Blackbird Ventures, and Grok Ventures.</p>
<p>ARENA CEO Darren Miller said, “ARENA is supporting these universities with $41.5 million in funding to get behind the target of ‘Solar 30 30 30’ to deliver ultra-low-cost solar, helping to optimize Australia’s transition to renewable electricity and achieve our emissions reduction targets.”</p>
<p>In December 2022, ARENA <a href="https://mercomindia.com/australia-provide-118-million-battery-projects-country/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> AU176 million (~$118 million) in conditional funding to support eight grid-scale battery projects across Australia.</p>


Australia Funds Research to Commercialize Silicon-Perovskite Tandem Tech


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					</table><p>Researchers from the <a href="https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems</a> (ISE) collaborated with industry partners to achieve an efficiency of 22.55% in a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell measuring over 100 square centimeters.</p>
<p>Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (<a href="https://www.bmwk.de/Navigation/DE/Home/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BMWK</a>), the project, titled SwiTch, developed interconnection and encapsulation solutions for perovskite-silicon tandem cells using industrial screen-printing metallization.</p>
<p>The experiment aimed to reach the best achievable power conversion efficiency in tandem solar cells of larger size. The best-published efficiency for tandem cells measuring 1 square centimeter under laboratory settings has been 31.3%.</p>
<p>However, Fraunhofer ISE researchers realized that most manufacturing processes used in the laboratory are not suitable for the industrial-scale production of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells.</p>
<p>According to the department head of photovoltaic modules at Fraunhofer ISE, Holger Neuhaus, &#8220;The interconnection and lamination processes had to be understood and adapted in such a way that the perovskite-silicon solar cells can be integrated into the module without damage at low cost, and with long-term stability.&#8221;</p>
<p>The solar cell made of perovskite material was stacked atop a conventional silicon solar cell in the experiment. The cells were arranged to enable the enhanced use of the solar spectrum, allowing better capture of sunlight, compared to used pure silicon solar cells.</p>
<p>The positioning of the perovskite solar cell and silicon solar cell establishes improved stability and durability, paving the way for possible industrial production of tandem cells.</p>
<p>The researchers developed the first module prototypes with a peak output of 430 W, for which they performed a detailed analysis of cell-to-module losses while targeting the long-term stability of the tandem photovoltaic modules.</p>
<p>&#8220;Efficiencies of over 35% are possible with these tandem solar cells. Laboratory-scale perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells have already overcome the silicon cell&#8217;s theoretical upper-efficiency limit of 29.4%, showing promise for even more efficient solar cells in the future,&#8221; observed Andreas Bett, director at Fraunhofer ISE.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, scientists at the Swiss Laboratories for Material Science &amp; Technology, Empa, claimed to have <a href="https://mercomindia.com/silver-tandem-solar-cells-achieve-record-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a low-temperature method using silver to produce a bifacial perovskite-copper indium gallium selenide tandem solar cell. They achieved record efficiencies of 19.8% and 10.9% in the front and rear sides of the bifacial tandem solar cells, respectively.</p>
<p>In June this year, scientists from Fraunhofer ISE&#8217;s Center for High-Efficiency Solar Cells claimed to have <a href="https://mercomindia.com/fraunhofer-researchers-claim-record-efficiency-four-junction-solar-cell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">achieved</a> an energy conversion efficiency of 47.6% in a multijunction solar cell (III-V) using an anti-reflection coating at a concentration of 665 suns.</p>


Scientists Claim 22.5% Efficiency in a Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Cell of Large Area


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					</table><p>Scientists at <a href="https://www.empa.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Empa</a>, Swiss Laboratories for Material Science &amp; Technology, said they have developed a low-temperature technique using silver to produce a bifacial perovskite-CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) tandem solar cell, wherein the front side of the cell achieved record efficiency of 19.8% and the rear side displayed 10.9% efficiency.</p>
<p>In the work published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/nenergy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature Energy</a>, the experts at EMPA captured both the direct sunlight and its reflection on the two sides of the tandem solar cell.</p>
<p>To overcome the issue of achieving limited efficiency, the scientists used a conductive oxide (TCO) to establish an optically transparent electrical contact which enabled the rear side of the bifacial CIGS tandem cell to capture the sun’s reflection.</p>
<p>The TCO became a substitute for largely used opaque back contact which is mono-facial, where solar cells are made of molybdenum which is a transition metal.</p>
<p><strong>The use of silver raises the current flow</strong></p>
<p>However, the scientists found that the flow of the current produced on the rear side of the cells is largely blocked due to the formation of a gallium oxide (GaOx) interface, lowering the energy conversion efficiency of the cell.</p>
<p>A chemical reaction occurs between the gallium of the CIGS layer and the oxygen of the transparent rear contact, when the production of highly efficient CIGS solar cells is subjected to an increased temperature deposition process, for instance, under 550 degrees Celsius.</p>
<p>According to the Head of EMPA’s Thin Film and Photovoltaics lab, Ayodhya N. Tiwari, the highest efficiencies achieved in a single cell are 9% for the front side and 7.1% for the rear side. “It’s really difficult to have a good energy conversion efficiency for solar cells with both front and rear transparent conducting contacts,” he said.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gourav.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-46553 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gourav.png" alt="Empa solar cell efficiency " width="602" height="417" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gourav.png 602w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gourav-300x208.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gourav-600x416.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Source: Empa</p>
<p>To significantly void the presence of GaOx interface, the team then used little silver as a secret element to reduce the melting point of the CIGS alloy.</p>
<p>They focussed on obtaining absorber layers with enhanced electronic properties at a deposition temperature of 353 degrees Celsius. On keenly observing the multilayer structure of the cell with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, gallium oxide was almost nil.</p>
<p>The low-temperature deposition method using a tiny amount of silver boosted the energy conversion efficiencies on the front side to 19.8% and 10.9% on the rear side of the bifacial-CIGS tandem solar cell.</p>
<p>The efficiencies achieved by the EMPA scientists <a href="https://mercomindia.com/fraunhofer-researchers-claim-record-efficiency-four-junction-solar-cell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">align</a> with the record power conversion efficiency of 47.6% achieved by researchers from the <a href="https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fraunhofer ISE</a>’s Center for High-Efficiency Solar Cells. The team at Fraunhofer optimized each layer of the complex solar cell with multiple junctions using an anti-reflection coat at a concentration of 665 suns (heat concentration level equalling 665 suns).</p>
<p>EMPA scientists <a href="https://mercomindia.com/swiss-researchers-record-efficiency-for-cigs-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> to have achieved an efficiency of 22.2% for CIGS flexible solar cells. This is an improvement of 0.8% from the previous value of 21.4%, which was announced by the same lab.</p>


Scientists Use Silver in Tandem Solar Cells to Achieve Record Efficiency


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					</table><p>Silicon Wafer Manufacturer <a href="https://cubicpv.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CubicPV</a> said it has been spurred by Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to build 10 GW of conventional mono-wafer capacity in the United States, which will bridge the gap in the solar value chain in the country.</p>
<p>“The IRA represents a titanic shift in the global solar landscape, and the U.S. is poised to become the world’s most competitive location to manufacture solar. We’re excited to have a role in the U.S. manufacturing renaissance while accelerating our business plan and supporting the development of our next-generation tandem module technology,” said CubicPV’s CEO, Frank van Mierlo.</p>
<p>Further, the company said it has raised $26 million in a Series B financing round to bolster its research and development (R&amp;D) activities in tandem module technology.</p>
<p>The round was led by private equity fund manager <a href="https://www.synergycapital.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Synergy Capital</a> and SCG Cleanergy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of <a href="https://scginternational.com/energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SCG</a>, while other lead investors included <a href="https://breakthroughenergy.org/our-work/breakthrough-energy-ventures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Breakthrough Energy Ventures</a> and <a href="https://www.huntenergy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hunt Energy Enterprises</a>.</p>
<p>The company expects to finalize a location on the proposed mono-wafer manufacturing facility by the first quarter of 2023. Cubic PV claims to be the only high-volume wafer-producing company in the U.S.</p>
<p>While the construction would tentatively be complete by 2024, CubicPV said that the new facility would be fully ramped in 2025.</p>
<p>Deemed to be the first-of-its-kind facility of such a scale in the U.S., CubicPV said it would create 1,500 new direct jobs to meet the anticipated rise in demand for wafers produced in the country.</p>
<p>Recently, Indian module manufacturer Waaree Energies and CubicPV <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-regulator-allows-tariff-of-%e2%82%b98-40/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">entered </a>into a multi-year supply agreement in which CubicPV will supply 1 GW of silicon cells to Waaree annually. The cells will feature wafers made with CubicPV’s technology, which produces wafers directly from a molten bath of silicon.</p>
<p>Last year, CubicPV <a href="https://mercomindia.com/iredas-module-tender-receives-strong-response/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bid</a> for 1 GW capacity in Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency’s tender to set up manufacturing capacities for vertically-integrated high-efficiency solar modules under the Production-Linked Incentive program.</p>


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