Structural changes boost efficiency of perovskite/silicon solar cells

To enable the high power-conversion efficiency, the team developed new materials to extract an electrical charge from the silicon side while maximising the amount of incoming light reaching the perovskite layer. The development is said to open multiple new routes for further gains in tandem cell performance.

PCE of solar panels improved by lower temperatures

KAUST team roll on with solar perovskite production

Tandem solar cells combine two light-harvesting materials in one device, potentially generating significantly more electricity than a conventional single-junction silicon solar cell for a small additional cost.

“Silicon-based tandem solar cells have been identified as the ultimate long-term technology to further enhance solar panel power conversion efficiencies,” said electrical engineer Stefaan De Wolf, who led the study. “We, therefore, focus on this technology.”

The team’s findings are published online in Energy & Environmental Science.

When semiconductors such as silicon and perovskites absorb light, electrons are collected at “n-type contacts” on one side of the material, and positively charged holes are collected at “p-type contacts” on the opposite side, explained Erkan Aydin, a research scientist in De Wolf’s group.