Researchers develop perovskite-CIGS with 21.1% efficiency

• Researchers from the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Study Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) have actually accomplished 21.1 percent efficiency with tandem perovskite - CIGS solar cells. These thin-film-based modules are very efficient, light and flexible as well as can open doors to lots of new usage cases for which standard rigid modules are not suitable.

ZSW's tandem solar module has a location of 9 square centimeters and attains 21.1 percent efficiency. This prototype also features scalable component architecture suitable for industrial manufacturing. The very best performance obtained to date with tandem solar modules constructed from perovskite as well as CIGS is just a little greater at 22 percent. ZSW has already accomplished a superb effectiveness level of 26.6 percent with this mix of products in smaller laboratory cells.

After decades of extensive research, the efficiency of the prevailing silicon cells is fast approaching the sensible restriction of around 27 percent. Perovskite-based solar technology holds prospective for further increases to more than 30 percent, especially when making use of the tandem solar module method. It contains solar cells made from various materials layered in addition to one another. The different active layers work together to enhance efficiency by collectively making better use the size of the solar spectrum than each solitary solar cell does on its own.

" Some compounds in this class of products exhibit exceptional optical as well as electronic residential or commercial properties as well as are abundantly and inexpensively offered in the world," states Dr. Jan-Philipp Becker, head of ZSW's Photovoltaics: Products Research department. "With their high optical energy bandgap, compounds in the top solar module are able to make use of the high-energy range of the solar spectrum very effectively. At the same time, they permit a substantial share of the spectrum's low-energy array to travel through down solar module."

Traditional silicon PV cells would appear to be the noticeable selection for the bottom solar module. Nevertheless, an even more fascinating recommendation is to make use of thin-film technologies specifically. The bottom module can additionally be made of perovskite or of CIGS, which is the case in ZSW's module. CIGS is a mix of materials-- copper, indium and also gallium vapor-deposited onto a rigid or flexible substrate in a selenium ambience. ZSWs specialists as well as sector partners had actually developed this technology and ramped it up for automation in earlier projects. CIGS's spooky absorption can be customized to an excellent fit for the tandem composite.

It took multiple stages of technological development to achieve these impressive values. First, the scientists enhanced the submodules. The leading perovskite half-module not only needs to be extremely efficient; it has to also be semitransparent to allow adequate light to pass through to the bottom module. They made a number of renovations to this end, including establishing a lot more transparent electrodes as well as boosting the passivation of boundary layers.

The tandem structure in its entirety in all prepared cells as well as modules outshined private cells or modules in terms of efficiency. This shows the superiority of tandem solar modules. ZSW currently intends to further scale up and also create tandem thin-film technology in a collaboration with interested sector clients.

ZSW partnered with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in this research study campaign, which belonged to the lately finished CAPITANO project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs as well as Climate Action (BMWK).