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INterface engineering of carrier-Selective, Passivating and Interconnecting REcombination junctions for Tandem PhotoVoltaics

Objective

The world is currently facing the perils of climate change, which manifest in the form of severe weather events across the globe, resulting not only in substantial economic losses but also endangering human life. A long-term solution is to transition to renewables, and solar photovoltaics stand out for its potential to significantly displace conventional fossil fuels. For enabling this transition, the solar cells should deliver higher efficiency in an economically feasible and commercially scalable manner. The current market-dominant silicon solar cells have reached efficiency close to their upper limit of ~27%. A promising route to improve this further is tandem solar cells (TSCs), which integrate two solar cells - a perovskite top cell and a silicon bottom cell, already demonstrating ~34% record efficiency. However, the widespread adoption of TSCs is hindered by the limitations of the interconnecting recombination junction (RJ). This critical layer must exhibit high optical transparency to minimize photon losses, exceptional passivation to suppress carrier recombination, and compatibility with scalable manufacturing processes. The present layers consist of Indium-based transparent conductive oxides (TCOs), which suffer from high material cost and resource scarcity, along with amorphous silicon (a-Si) that has parasitic absorption losses. Project INSPIRE-PV aims to engineer a next-generation RJ offering three key advantages: (1) replacement of indium-based TCOs with cost-effective, scalable alternatives; (2) enhanced transparency through wide-bandgap materials; and (3) superior interface passivation enabled by hydrogen plasma treatment. This novel material stack addresses a critical bottleneck in tandem cell design, unlocking pathways toward economically viable, high-efficiency TSCs. This interdisciplinary effort seeks to establish a new benchmark in TSC architecture, facilitating mass deployment and contributing meaningfully to global decarbonization goals.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF

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Coordinator

THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 260 347,92
Address
WELLINGTON SQUARE UNIVERSITY OFFICES
OX1 2JD Oxford
United Kingdom

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Region
South East (England) Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Oxfordshire
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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