17 April 2018

EU-funded ESPResSo project targets perovskite solar cell efficiency of 24% and module efficiency of 17%

© Semiconductor Today Magazine / Juno PublishiPicture: Disco’s DAL7440 KABRA laser saw.

Nanoelectronics and photovoltaics research centre imec of Leuven, Belgium (a partner in EnergyVille, a collaboration between Flemish research centers KU Leuven, vito, imec and UHasselt) has been named coordinator of a three-year European Union (EU)-funded project ESPResSo (Efficient Structures and Processes for Reliable Perovskite Solar Modules) that gathers known leaders in perovskite PV technology with the aim of revolutionizing Europe’s photovoltaics (PV) industry.

The ESPResSo consortium has been granted more than €5m by the EU to overcome the limitations of existing perovskite PV technology, bring the solar cells to the next maturity level, and demonstrate their practical application. Consortium members include the fundamental research organizations Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) in Italy; perovskite solar cell scale-up and industrialization members imec in Belgium, Universita degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata (UNITOV-CHOSE) in Italy and Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Germany; and experts in sustainability and renewable energies CSGI (Consorzio Interuniversitario per lo Sviluppo dei Sistemi a Grande Interfase) in Italy and the University of Cyprus. Members representing materials development include Dycotec Materials Ltd in the UK, Dyenamo AB in Sweden and Corning SAS in France; equipment manufacturer M-Solv Ltd in the UK; along with perovskite solar cell technology developers Saule Technologies in Poland and building-integrated photovoltaics developer Onyx Solar Energy SL in Spain.

Perovskite solar cells have already demonstrated high efficiencies (above 22%) that rival those of established mainstream thin-film PV technologies like copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe), notes imec. The challenge is now to transfer the progress made in recent years from the cell level into a scalable, stable, low-cost technology on the module level. Due to its low-cost materials and low-temperature deposition processes, perovskite-based PV technology has the potential to takes its place in the thin-film PV market, it is reckoned.

“Perovskite cells demonstrate clear potential to support the world’s energy demands cost-effectively,” believes Tom Aernouts, imec’s group leader of thin-film photovoltaics. “The ultimate aim of the partners of the ESPResSo project is to achieve this by bringing perovskite photovoltaics from the lab to the fab.”

The ESPResSo team targets alternative cost-effective materials, novel cell concepts and architectures, and advanced processing know-how and equipment to overcome the current limitations of the technology. The consortium aims to raise cell performance to close to its theoretical limit by demonstrating cell efficiency of more than 24% (on an area of 1cm2) and less than 10% degradation in cell efficiency following thermal stress at 85°C, 85% RH for over 1000hrs. Scale-up activities utilizing solution-processed slot-die coating and laser processing are additionally expected to deliver modules with more than 17% efficiency showing long-term (>20 years) reliable performance, as deduced from IEC-compliant test conditions.

The ESPResSo team also envisions integrating modules in façade elements demonstrating a levelized cost of electricity (LCoE) of ≤ 0.05€/kWh. Prototyping arbitrary-shaped architectures with specific materials and process combinations is intended to emphasize that new developments (e.g. flexible substrates or high semi-transparency) are accessible in the mid- to longer-term with perovskite thin-film PV technology.

See related items:

Imec and Solliance boost efficiency for 4cm x 4cm perovskite PV module to 12.4%

Solliance sets record stabilized efficiency of 12.6% for roll-to-roll produced perovskite-based solar cells

Imec and Solliance partners report first semi-transparent perovskite modules

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

Dyesol becomes industrial partner of Solliance 

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