25 May 2016

Imec and Solliance partners report first semi-transparent perovskite modules

Nanoelectronics research center imec of Leuven, Belgium, a partner in Solliance - a European thin-film photovoltaic (TFPV) solar energy R&D consortium in the ELAT (Eindhoven-Leuven-Aachen) region spanning The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany - has reported what is claimed to be the first semi-transparent perovskite PV module, achieving power conversion efficiencies up to 12%. The technology enables the creation of semi-transparent PV-windows which are a key for zero-energy buildings. Moreover, by combining these semi-transparent perovskite modules with silicon solar cells, an unprecedented 20.2% in power conversion efficiency for a perovskite/silicon stacked solar module has been achieved.

Standalone perovskite solar modules can be manufactured with simple fabrication technologies, such as coating and printing. Perovskites can also be manipulated to be realized on flexible (plastic films or metal foils) as well as rigid (glass, metal) carriers. Optical and electrical properties of the perovskite solar cells can be varied by tuning the composition of the material components and thereby adjusting color and transparency. Imec's semi-transparent perovskite modules realized by scalable coating techniques showed efficiencies of 12% on sizes as large as 4cm2 and 10% on sizes as large as 16cm2, a record in this domain.

The combination of perovskite solar modules on top of silicon solar modules bears the potential of achieving power conversion efficiencies greater than 30%, surpassing those of the best single-junction silicon solar cells. Imec's stacked module concept features a highly transparent perovskite solar module stacked on top of interdigitated back contacted (IBC) silicon solar cells. All devices had the same area, and the semi-transparent perovskite top module shows 70% transmission of light towards the crystalline silicon solar cell. Power conversion efficiency of 20.2% was reached for the resulting stacked perovskite/Si solar module of relevant sizes of 4cm2. Moreover, a power conversion efficiency of 17.2% was achieved for larger areas of up to 16cm2, employing a silicon bottom solar module of four interconnected IBC cells (also a record for this size).

The results show "we have excellent control over the performance as well as the upscaling capabilities of this technology," says Tom Aernouts, Thin Film PV Technology Manager at imec. "Our future work will continue in increasing module sizes and optimizing the perovskite solar cell technology," he adds. "With a millimeter-size perovskite solar cell stacked on our IBC solar cell, even efficiency as high as 22% has been obtained," notes Ulrich Paetzold, a researcher in the Thin Film PV group. "But advancement of the perovskite/Si stacked solar module technology relies on demonstrators of realistic sizes."

Solliance partners include ECN, imec, TNO, Holst Centre, TU/e, Forschungszentrum Jülich , University Hasselt and Delft University of Technology. The consortium is supported by the Dutch province of North Brabant, which has dedicated €28m to Solliance. In June 2014, Solliance opened a large shared laboratory at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven that includes pre-pilot production facilities, complementing partners' labs (which are also available to the other partners). To make optimal use of these lab facilities, they are open to valorization programs in joint research with industry.

See related items:

Solliance sets record 10% aperture-area conversion efficiency for scaled-up perovskite-based PV modules

Imec reports record perovskite thin-film PV module efficiency of 11.3%

Imec reports perovskite PV module with 8% efficiency

Tags: IMEC Solliance Thin-film PV

Visit: www.solliance.eu

Visit: www.imec.be