Triple junction solar modules based on perovskites and silicon for high performance, low-cost and small environmental footprint

Project Information

TRIUMPH

Grant agreement ID: 101075725

DOI

10.3030/101075725

Project closed

EC signature date 29 August 2022

Start date 1 October 2022

End date 31 March 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 5 131 150,00

EU contribution

€ 5 131 150,00

Coordinated by

INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUM
Belgium

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - TRIUMPH (Triple junction solar modules based on perovskites and silicon for high performance, low-cost and small environmental footprint)

Reporting period: 2023-12-01 to 2025-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The TRIUMPH project aims to initiate the development of a future PV cell technology node, based on an advanced triple junction cell concept, that is widely considered to be the next technology node to come after tandems. Presently, there is considerable amount of attention and research and development (R&D) activities devoted to Pk/Si tandems and already promising cell efficiencies, reliability and outdoor performance results have been obtained. The highest efficiency reported for a 2-terminal (2T) Pk/Si tandem is 33.9%, which has already gone past the Auger limit of Si. Therefore, in TRIUMPH, we plan to venture a step further than tandems by targeting TRIple junction devices, that can add the extra “OOMPH” (hence the name TRIUMPH) needed to reach efficiencies even >33%. These 2T triple junction devices will be based on perovskites for the middle and top cells and silicon for the bottom cell and will build on the knowledge garnered in the field of Pk/Si tandems. Additionally, cost-effective processing techniques that are industrially viable will be selected for scale-up developments, with minimal upscaling performance loss and degradation during reliability testing and outdoor monitoring. As we enter the tera-watt (TW) era of PV deployment, using earth-abundant materials and enforcing circularity become necessities. Towards this objective, we not only explore options that reduce critical raw materials (CRM) such as silver (Ag) and indium (In) in the triple junction devices, but also apply design for recycling principles to the triple junction modules. The consortium consists of 14 complementary partners from both research institutions and industry, each bringing their best forte to the table, which will help to establish the pathway and the value chain for future multi-junction modules. In this way, TRIUMPH would help the European Union (EU) to maintain its technological leadership in the PV domain for the future generation of PV technologies.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Significant strides have been made during the current reporting period towards TRIUMPH’s overall goals. There are 4 specific objectives defined for the TRIUMPH project, in short: (1) very high efficiencies, (2) cost-effective and scalable technology, (3) design for sustainability, and (4) value chain buy-in. All these objectives were addressed during this reporting period to varying extents. While substantial progress has been made in developing the building blocks of the triple junction stack and achieving highly efficient and stable triple junction devices on small area of ~1 cm2 (objective 1), considerable challenges were identified in upscaling these efficient small devices to large area (objective 2), leading to delays in 2 deliverables. On the topic of sustainability, In-free materials as well as a recyclable module approach compatible with low-temperature triple junction devices have been demonstrated in this period (objective 3). The industrial partners continue to play a strong supporting role in the quest of achieving the set targets of the project (objective 4).

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

TRIUMPH has already improved the state-of-the-art in terms of 3J device performance from 12.7% (before the project) to 23.4% (current status), well ahead of the plan to achieve the project's high efficiency goal. The challenges addressed in the process of these developments can be continuously uptaken by companies involved in the project and could also have spill-over benefits in other business areas for the companies, e.g. tandem research and commercialisation by Qcells, addition of new SAM materials to Dyenamo's portfolio which is also interesting for the field of single-junction perovskites and tandems, indium-free TCOs as an option for Von Ardenne and SALD towards single-junction c-Si solar cells, single-junction perovskite solar cells as well as tandems. Progress has also been made towards bringing standardization for accurate and trust-worthy measurements for multi-junction cells and modules. This would benefit the community is reporting on the next-generation multi-junction devices in a way that allows for benchmarking across different entities globally. Insight into modeling of metastability and degradation in Pk-based multi-junctions are key enablers and solving those issues are critical for the commercialization of multi-junction technology, and progress is being made on these aspects as well within TRIUMPH. Lastly, sustainability in PV is crucial in the TW-era of PV depolyment and concepts for material sustainability and circularity are already being explored in this project. It is too early for the first reporting period to discuss about needs for further uptake and success beyond the end of the project at this stage.