Several solar companies – including Hanwha Qcells, Trinasolar and Longi – have recently announced breakthrough in tandem solar cell technology, combining traditional photovoltaic silicon technology with perovskite to increase efficiency.
The perovskite is inexpensive compared to silicon, but Unless stable chemistrywhich has historically presented scalability and marketing challenges. However, Qcells announced on May 14 that its solar cells in tandem have reached an important step in stability, reaching a “validation of successful stress test for its tandem modules according to certification standards (International Electrotechnics Commission) and (subscribing laboratories).”
“These tests have also complied with the specific tandem requirements for power measures, making it a key first in the industry,” said Qcells. “Execution in accordance with the standards of tests and constraint measures was confirmed independently by Tüv Rheinland.”
A tandem solar cell uses stacked layers of different materials to capture a wider range of the solar spectrum, allowing modules to bypass the Shockley limit – to claise, a theoretical limit that prevents cells which use only one material from absorbing more than 30% of the solar energy that shines on them.
“The cells and modules tested are typical devices of our pilot line (research and development) in Germany and have been manufactured exclusively using processes that are achievable for mass production,” said Fabian Fertig, head of R&D in tandem at Qcells Germany, in a number of companies. “This result sets out the basics of a future marketing of this exciting technology.”
Qcells was founded in Germany and has its registered office in South Korea, but has substantial investments in the United States, including a Ease of manufacture of Carderville panels, Georgia.
Chinese company Trinasolar announced on March 28 That he had developed the “first pv solar module in the world in the world offering more than 800 W of maximum power”, in the form of solar cells in perovskite / silicon tandem with a standard industrial size of 210 mm and a cutting -edge power of 808 W.
This breakthrough is an “important step towards the industrialization of modules in tandem,” said Gao Jifan, Chairman and CEO of Trinasolar.
On April 9, Trinasolar announced a Treat with the spin-off of the University of Oxford Oxford PVA solar company specializing in solar technology in Pérovskite. The two companies have concluded an “exclusive agreement of patent licenses for the manufacture and sale of photovoltaic products based on perovskite in China with an additional right to the underside,” said Oxford PV in a press release.
“This agreement is an important step in our mission to do the dominant PV perovskite and affirms the pivotal role of patents in today’s photovoltaics and the future,” said David Ward, CEO of Oxford PV. “We encourage other parties interested in a license outside China to contact us.”
Longi, another The company announced a “solar cell in crystalline-perovskite tandem with two terminals which obtained a Conversion efficiency of 34.85%On April 15, beating an efficiency record for cells in tandem-perovskite tandem of 34.6%, which Longi had also established. The result was certified by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, said the company.