Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.
Advertisement
Silicon photovoltaics
Nature Energy (2026)
As silicon solar cells approach their theoretical efficiency limit, further performance gains become increasingly difficult. Two studies now demonstrate advances in mainstream tunnel oxide passivating contact technology: one improves the boron emitter and polysilicon in the standard design, while the other proposes an alternative cell architecture that overcomes limitations of the mainstream approach.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$119.00 per year
only $9.92 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
China photovoltaic industry development roadmap (2024–2025). China Photovoltaic Industry Association https://www.chinapv.org.cn/Industry/resource_1405.html (2025).
International technology roadmap for photovoltaics (ITRPV). VDMA https://www.vdma.org/international-technology-roadmap-photovoltaic (2025).
Wang, Q. et al. Energy Environ. Sci. 18, 9217–9229 (2025).
Article Google Scholar
Niewelt, T. et al. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 235, 111467 (2022).
Article Google Scholar
Gao, K. et al. Nat. Energy https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-026-02007-8 (2026).
Article Google Scholar
Yang, Z. et al. Nat. Energy https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-026-01982-2 (2026).
Article Google Scholar
Lin, H. et al. Nat. Energy 8, 789–799 (2023).
Article Google Scholar
Krassowski, E. Laser Enhanced Contact Optimization – on the evolution and potentials of a disruptive technology for contact formation of industrial solar cells. In Proc. 2025 IEEE 53rd Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) 248–250 (IEEE, 2025).
Richter, A. et al. Nat. Energy 6, 429–438 (2021).
Article Google Scholar
Tong, H. et al. Nat. Commun. 16, 5920 (2025).
Article Google Scholar
Wang, G. et al. Nature 647, 369–374 (2025).
Article Google Scholar
Er-raji, O. et al. Sol. RRL 7, 2300659 (2023).
Article Google Scholar
Green, M. A. et al. Prog. Photovolt. 34, 482–496 (2026).
Article Google Scholar
Yang, G. et al. Nat. Photon. 19, 913–924 (2025).
Article Google Scholar
Hanser, M. et al. Sol. RRL 9, e202500835 (2025).
Article Google Scholar
Download references
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Freiburg, Germany
Armin Richter, Jan Benick & Andreas Wolf
PubMed Google Scholar
PubMed Google Scholar
PubMed Google Scholar
Correspondence to Armin Richter.
The authors declare no competing interests.
Reprints and permissions
Richter, A., Benick, J. & Wolf, A. Pushing tunnel oxide passivating contact technology. Nat Energy (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-026-02051-4
Download citation
Published:
Version of record:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-026-02051-4
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative
Advertisement
Nature Energy (Nat Energy)
ISSN 2058-7546 (online)
© 2026 Springer Nature Limited
Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.
