Solar module maker Heliene and perovskite company Caelux have announced the start of commercial-scale production of perovskite/silicon tandem solar modules at the Heliene module assembly facility in Minnesota.
The modules feature Caelux’s “Energy Producing Glass” layered on top of a traditional silicon solar module, which the companies say achieves efficiencies of 27% or more. The glass, which Caelux produces at its facility in Baldwin Park, California, contains a thin film of perovskite material that adds a second energy generation layer to a solar module.
The two companies say they have entered into a long-term multi-gigawatt agreement to commercialize the perovskite/silicon hybrid modules, and are targeting module efficiency of 29% by 2028.
In a recent presentation during pv magazine USA Week 2026, Caelux CEO Scott Graybeal outlined his company’s technology roadmap, explaining that silicon solar modules made with the current generation of Caelux glass can achieve efficiencies of between 26.7% and 28.2%, depending on the cell architecture of the underlying silicon layer. The CEO said his company expects to reach a milestone of greater than 30% efficiency in tandem module configurations with TOPCon, HJT and back-contact cell designs by 2028 or 2029.
Caelux’s approach to perovskite integration with silicon relies on what is known as four-terminal (4T) perovskite technology. In a 4T perovskite module, the perovskite layer is deposited onto glass and the silicon cells strung and laminated separately. The technology gets its name because the top and bottom light-absorbing layers of the finished module operate as completely independent electrical circuits, each requiring its own positive and negative electrical contacts, or terminals. In addition to Caelux, companies like Tandem PV and CubicPV are pursuing 4T perovskite tandems for commercial use.
This differs from two-terminal (2T) perovskite tandems, in which a perovskite layer is deposited directly on top of the silicon during the cell manufacturing phase. Also known as “monolithic” perovskite tandem solar cells, this technology is being pursued by companies like Swift Solar and Oxford PV.
Heliene CEO Martin Pochtaruk says Heliene chose to work with Caelux partly because of the 4T architecture and partly because it manufactures perovskite glass domestically.
“One of the advantages of Caelux’s technology is that we can integrate its Energy Producing Glass into our existing manufacturing lines without having to build an entirely new production setup,” Pochtaruk said in a statement. “With both companies manufacturing in the U.S., we’re bringing together two fully domestic supply chains to advance what’s possible with American-made solar, besides the fact that partnering with true friends also makes it fun.”
The two companies plan to display one of the perovskite-silicon tandem modules at the Heliene booth at RE+ 2026. Commercial shipment of the modules is expected in 2027.
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