Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has inaugurated a new laboratory aimed at accelerating the market introduction of silicon-perovskite tandem photovoltaic technology.
The new facility, called “Pero-Si-SCALE”, will provide an independent research and development infrastructure for the German and European photovoltaic industry, enabling solar cell and module manufacturers to scale new tandem cell designs to industrial-sized formats using standard manufacturing processes.
According to Fraunhofer ISE, applying a perovskite cell only 500 nanometres thick onto a conventional silicon solar cell increases the theoretical efficiency limit from 29.4% to 43.3%.
The institute said the new laboratory is designed to bridge the gap between laboratory-scale research and industrial implementation of tandem solar technologies.
Pero-Si-SCALE builds on developments achieved at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1 to 4 and transfers innovative cell concepts to industrial wafer formats of up to 210 x 210 millimetres through scalable, high-throughput manufacturing processes.
In addition to supporting the development of silicon-perovskite solar cells and modules, the laboratory also provides a comprehensive environment for characterisation and analysis.
Stefan Glunz, Director of the Photovoltaics Division at Fraunhofer ISE, said during the inauguration that photovoltaics is “far from being fully researched”.
“On the contrary, there is still much to discover, and tandem solar cells are key to achieving higher efficiencies,” Glunz said. “This means more solar power on a smaller surface area and with lower material consumption.”
The institute said the new infrastructure builds on two decades of experience in industry-oriented silicon photovoltaic development at its Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center (PV-TEC).
Ralf Preu, Head of the Photovoltaics Division at Fraunhofer ISE, said PV-TEC will also supply optimised silicon bottom cells for Pero-Si-SCALE and ensure close integration with existing industrial production processes.
“The new laboratory infrastructure is based on 20 years of experience in the development of industry-oriented silicon photovoltaic systems at PV-TEC,” Preu said.
Fraunhofer ISE said it is focusing on the so-called “hybrid route” for the production of silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells, combining wet chemical and vacuum-based manufacturing processes.
Using this technology, the institute has already achieved laboratory-scale efficiencies above 33%.
According to Fraunhofer ISE, one advantage of the process is that it enables the use of standard textured silicon solar cells already widely used by the industry, facilitating integration with current solar manufacturing standards and improving the energy yield of tandem modules.
The institute noted that combining a broad range of thin-film deposition technologies with wafer-based silicon technology remains one of the key challenges for efficient industrial implementation.
The inauguration of the Pero-Si-SCALE laboratory was attended by representatives from industry and research organisations, including Martin Hermle, Peter Fath, Chris Case, Andreas Bett, Stephanie von Ahlefeldt and Axel Müller-Groeling.
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