Harnessing Sun's Power: The Record-Breaking Tandem Solar Cell

• Experience the world's top tandem solar cells with record efficiency values of up to 33.7%. Expert teams from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and other research institutes are now making these technologies available in principle and potentially low cost.

The world's top tandem solar cells consisting of a silicon bottom cell and a perovskite top cell have achieved record efficiency values, converting up to 33.7% of incident solar radiation into electrical energy. A team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is presenting the scientific data and details of how this was achieved. The improvements were possible due to expertise in both silicon heterojunction technology and perovskite solar cells and the introduction of special periodic nanostructures.
In the last two years, various research institutes and photovoltaic companies around the world have been continuously improving the efficiency of solar cells. In December 2021, HZB achieved a record efficiency of 29.8%, while a certified tandem cell from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland reached 31.3% the following summer. From December 2022 to mid-April 2023, HZB held the world record with 32.5%, before KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory in Saudi Arabia demonstrated a perovskite silicon tandem cell with 33.2% and eventually 33.7%.
The technologies for manufacturing such tandem solar cells are now available in principle and potentially low cost. The focus now is on further improvements in the area of stability in outdoor use, with the aim of making an important contribution to a sustainable energy supply and fighting climate change.

What Technology Achieved 33.7% Efficiency in Solar Cells?

• The tandem solar cells consist of a silicon bottom cell and a perovskite top cell
• The team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin achieved the record efficiency of 33.7% by utilizing expertise in both silicon heterojunction technology and perovskite solar cells and introducing special periodic nanostructures
• In December 2021, HZB achieved a record efficiency of 29.8%, while a certified tandem cell from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland reached 31.3%
• From December 2022 to mid-April 2023, HZB held the world record with 32.5%, before KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory in Saudi Arabia demonstrated a perovskite silicon tandem cell with 33.2% and eventually 33.7%
• The technologies for manufacturing such tandem solar cells are now available in principle and potentially low cost
• The focus now is on further improvements in the area of stability in outdoor use, with the aim of making an important contribution to a sustainable energy supply and fighting climate change