February 28 (Renewables Now) – A tandem photo voltaic cell combining PERC and perovskite expertise might attain an influence conversion effectivity of 29.5%, in line with researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Institute for Photo voltaic Power Analysis in Hamelin (ISFH).
The 2 groups have been engaged on the idea as a part of the joint challenge P3T, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics. They’ve up to now managed to attain an effectivity of 21.3% on an lively cell space of about 1 sq cm. That is beneath the effectivity of optimised PERC cells, however there’s room for enchancment.
Tandem cells convert the vitality spectrum of daylight into vitality extra effectively than the subcells they’re fabricated from and plenty of scientists are engaged on totally different combos. HZB and ISFH selected the “workhorse” of photovoltaics – PERC silicon cells on p-type silicon – for his or her challenge as it’s “significantly fascinating” for the commercialisation of a perovskite-silicon tandem expertise.
At ISFH they used an industry-compatible PERC course of for the bottom contact of the underside cells, whereas the POLO contact, one other “industrialisable expertise” was used on the entrance facet of the wafer. It has been tailored for the small-area proof of idea cells. At HZB a tin-doped indium oxide recombination layer has been utilized as a contact between the 2 subcells.
In response to Silvia Mariotti from the HZB workforce, adapting the floor of the silicon wafers as a subsequent step might simply enhance the effectivity to about 25%, which might be above that of PERCs alone.
