Masdar PV and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin partner to accelerate development of next generation thin film crystalline silicon PV technology
• HZB’s first milestone achieved by succeeding in depositing a thin, crystalline 10μm layer of silicon on glass utilizing laser-crystallization
MASDAR PV and HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM Berlin have strengthened their R&D partnership, focusing resources on development of next generation thin film Si technology. After successful cooperation in the development of Masdar PV´s first and second generation thin film silicon based solar cells, Masdar and HZB/PVcomB are now moving ahead to accelerate deployment of a new generation of thin film crystalline silicon based PV.
HZB has achieved the first milestone on this technology roadmap by succeeding in depositing a thin, crystalline 10μm layer of silicon on glass utilizing laser-crystallization. “Thin film crystalline silicon based PV can achieve high efficiency with low material cost”, explains Prof Bernd Rech. “Thus, it combines the advantages of incumbent, wafer-based crystalline silicon PV and thin film Si technology. Moreover, thin film crystalline silicon uses only abundantly available materials. We are confident to reach efficiencies comparable to wafer based crystalline silicon technology. On a long-term basis we are aiming for 20 % and beyond with thin film Si technology.”
Recent developments at HZB on crystalline thin film Si solar cells have triggered the interest of MASDAR PV to invest in related R&D. HZB researchers demonstrated a world record value for the open-circuit voltage of 582 mV for c-Si on glass. This break-through result, the excellent material properties of thin film crystalline silicon created by Liquid Phase Crystallization as well as promising processability of the material initiated the shift in R&D focus now announced by Masdar PV and HZB / PVcomB. “We expect that thin film crystalline silicon solar cells can achieve 14% efficiency cells in the short to mid-term”, says Prof. Rutger Schlatmann, leader of the technology transfer unit PVcomB at the HZB, “and we are confident that rapid technological progress is possible in this field”.
Masdar PV is aiming to transfer this technology into its existing production facilities and therefore deliver this new technology on modules up to full size (5.7m²).
“Investing in the R&D of this next generation technology of thin film silicon on glass to produce PV panels could enable us to better compete with existing crystalline PV producers who rely on economies of scale rather than significant technology improvements”, says Masdar PV’s MD Tushita Ranchan.
About Masdar PV GmbH
Masdar PV GmbH develops and produces innovative thin-film solar products and solutions. The company is a 100 % subsidiary of Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multifaceted initiative for innovative renewable energy technologies, launched and owned by Mubadala Development Company.
The selection of module sizes that customers can choose from and the products’ advantageous cost-benefit ratio ensure that the high-tech modules from Masdar PV are ideally suited for ground-mounted installations and large-area rooftop systems. Transparent and colored modules allow architects to build futuristic, façade- and roof-integrated PV installations.
Please visit our website for additional information: www.masdarpv.com
- A simpler way to inorganic perovskite solar cellsInorganic perovskite solar cells made of CsPbI3 are stable over the long term and achieve good efficiencies. A team led by Prof. Antonio Abate has now analysed surfaces and interfaces of CsPbI3 films, produced under different conditions, at BESSY II. The results show that annealing in ambient air does not have an adverse effect on the optoelectronic properties of the semiconductor film, but actually results in fewer defects. This could further simplify the mass production of inorganic perovskite solar cells.
- BESSY II: How pulsed charging enhances the service time of batteriesAn improved charging protocol might help lithium-ion batteries to last much longer. Charging with a high-frequency pulsed current reduces ageing effects, an international team demonstrated. The study was led by Philipp Adelhelm (HZB and Humboldt University) in collaboration with teams from the Technical University of Berlin and Aalborg University in Denmark. Experiments at the X-ray source BESSY II were particularly revealing.
- Fuel Cells: Oxidation processes of phosphoric acid revealed by tender X-raysThe interactions between phosphoric acid and the platinum catalyst in high-temperature PEM fuel cells are more complex than previously assumed. Experiments at BESSY II with tender X-rays have decoded the multiple oxidation processes at the platinum-electrolyte interface. The results indicate that variations in humidity can influence some of these processes in order to increase the lifetime and efficiency of fuel cells.