2.8 Mio Euro Funding for preparing perovskite solar cells for high volume manufacturing
View into the new HySPRINT laboratory at HZB, where perovskit solar cells can be produced and tested. Photo: HZB/M. Setzpfandt
HZB participates in a new consortium for Perovskite solar technology that is led by Oxford PV Germany GmbH. The consortium is funded by the German Ministry of Economics and Energy with 2.8 Million Euros and aims to further demonstrate the manufacturability of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells.
Further partners are Von Ardenne GmbH, Fraunhofer-Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, and the Technical University of Berlin. The project will focus on preparing perovskite solar cell technology for high volume manufacturing. This will include the optimisation of the perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell architecture, to make further efficiency improvements on industrial 156 mm x 156 mm wafer formats; the refinement of industrial scale process technology; and life-cycle analysis to inform the social-environmental impact of the tandem solar cells.
"Perovskite-based tandem solar cells are very promising to achieve really high efficiencies. In order to contribute to this exciting development we have built up strong competences in perovskites and tandem cell technology such as the Helmholtz Innovation Lab HySPRINT", says Prof. Dr. Rutger Schlatmann, Director of the Competence Center Thin Film and Nanotechnology for Photovoltaics Berlin (PVcomB) at HZB. "To the consortium with Oxford PV, we contribute our vast expertise in high-efficiency silicon heterojunction bottom cells", adds Dr. Bernd Stannowski who is leading these activities at the PVcomB.
Dr. Chris Case, Chief Technology Officer at Oxford PV says “The consortium partners bring together the perfect balance of expertise. Refining the manufacturing process of our perovskite solar cell technology will ensure the highest performing tandem solar cell in the field and the easy transfer of our technology into silicon solar cell and module production lines.”
In June 2018, HZB and Oxford achieved an independently certified efficiency of 25.2 % for their perovskite silicon tandem solar cell. “In our cooperation, we aim to further optimize perovskite silicon tandem cells, demonstrate their scalability and facilitate their integration into large-area solar modules”, says Rutger Schlatmann.
Further Information:
Press Release Oxford PV
- Berlin Science Award goes to Philipp AdelhelmBattery researcher Prof. Dr. Philipp Adelhelm has been awarded the 2024 Berlin Science Award. He is a professor at the Institute of Chemistry at Humboldt University in Berlin (HU) and heads a joint research group at HU and the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB). The materials scientist and electrochemist is investigating sustainable batteries, which play a key role in the success of the energy transition. He is one of the leading international experts in the field of sodium-ion batteries.
- Scrolls from Buddhist shrine virtually unrolled at BESSY IIThe Mongolian collection of the Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin contains a unique Gungervaa shrine. Among the objects found inside were three tiny scrolls, wrapped in silk. Using 3D X-ray tomography, a team at HZB was able to create a digital copy of one of the scrolls. With a mathematical method the scroll could be virtually unrolled to reveal the scripture on the strip. This method is also used in battery research.
- Long-term test shows: Efficiency of perovskite cells varies with the seasonScientists at HZB run a long-term experiment on the roof of a building at the Adlershof campus. They expose a wide variety of solar cells to the weather conditions, recording their performance over a period of years. These include perovskite solar cells, a new photovoltaic material offering high efficiency and low manufacturing costs. Dr Carolin Ulbrich and Dr Mark Khenkin evaluated four years of data and presented their findings in Advanced Energy Materials. This is the longest series of measurements on perovskite cells in outdoor use to date. The scientists found that standard perovskite solar cells perform very well during the summer months, even over several years, but decline in efficiency during the darker months.