2.8 Mio Euro Funding for preparing perovskite solar cells for high volume manufacturing
View into the new HySPRINT laboratory at HZB, where perovskit solar cells can be produced and tested. Photo: HZB/M. Setzpfandt
HZB participates in a new consortium for Perovskite solar technology that is led by Oxford PV Germany GmbH. The consortium is funded by the German Ministry of Economics and Energy with 2.8 Million Euros and aims to further demonstrate the manufacturability of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells.
Further partners are Von Ardenne GmbH, Fraunhofer-Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, and the Technical University of Berlin. The project will focus on preparing perovskite solar cell technology for high volume manufacturing. This will include the optimisation of the perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell architecture, to make further efficiency improvements on industrial 156 mm x 156 mm wafer formats; the refinement of industrial scale process technology; and life-cycle analysis to inform the social-environmental impact of the tandem solar cells.
"Perovskite-based tandem solar cells are very promising to achieve really high efficiencies. In order to contribute to this exciting development we have built up strong competences in perovskites and tandem cell technology such as the Helmholtz Innovation Lab HySPRINT", says Prof. Dr. Rutger Schlatmann, Director of the Competence Center Thin Film and Nanotechnology for Photovoltaics Berlin (PVcomB) at HZB. "To the consortium with Oxford PV, we contribute our vast expertise in high-efficiency silicon heterojunction bottom cells", adds Dr. Bernd Stannowski who is leading these activities at the PVcomB.
Dr. Chris Case, Chief Technology Officer at Oxford PV says “The consortium partners bring together the perfect balance of expertise. Refining the manufacturing process of our perovskite solar cell technology will ensure the highest performing tandem solar cell in the field and the easy transfer of our technology into silicon solar cell and module production lines.”
In June 2018, HZB and Oxford achieved an independently certified efficiency of 25.2 % for their perovskite silicon tandem solar cell. “In our cooperation, we aim to further optimize perovskite silicon tandem cells, demonstrate their scalability and facilitate their integration into large-area solar modules”, says Rutger Schlatmann.
Further Information:
Press Release Oxford PV
- Optical innovations for solar modules - which are the most promising?In 2023, photovoltaic systems generated more than 5% of the world’s electrical energy and the installed capacity doubles every two to three years. Optical technologies can further increase the efficiency of solar modules and open up new applications, such as coloured solar modules for facades. Now, 27 experts provide a comprehensive overview of the state of research and assess the most promising innovations. The report, which is also of interest to stakeholders in funding and science management, was coordinated by HZB scientists Prof. Christiane Becker and Dr. Klaus Jäger.
- Catalysis research with the X-ray microscope at BESSY IIContrary to what we learned at school, some catalysts do change during the reaction: for example, certain electrocatalysts can change their structure and composition during the reaction when an electric field is applied. The X-ray microscope TXM at BESSY II in Berlin is a unique tool for studying such changes in detail. The results help to develop innovative catalysts for a wide range of applications. One example was recently published in Nature Materials. It involved the synthesis of ammonia from waste nitrates.
- Samira Aden joins ETIP PV - The European Technology & Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics ESG Working GroupSamira Jama Aden, Architect Design Research, has joined the ETIP PV - The European Technology & Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics working group “Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)”.