Project description
A solar cell built for two
A classic design principle in everything from clothing to composites is to combine two or more materials. This method delivers the best of both worlds, a product whose "whole" is greater than the sum of its parts. Tandem solar cells created from silicon and perovskite are an excellent example. Combining the complementary absorption spectra of these two materials enables the solar cells to harvest more of the solar spectrum – for unparalleled solar power conversion efficiency. However, several technical challenges to widespread uptake still remain, among them processing techniques capable of cost-effective high-throughput production that maintains efficiencies. The EU-funded PerSiSTanCe project plans to solve the quandary of how to achieve mass production and high performance of silicon–perovskite tandem solar cells.
Objective
As the world population grows, the total energy demanded increases, despite the limited reserves of fossil energy. Energy sources based on new technologies, such as the photovoltaic cells, emerged as a sustainable and environmentally clean option. However, given that silicon, the base material for most of these cells, fails to absorb the energy of the entire solar spectrum, one interesting option to increase device efficiencies is to produce stacks of complementing cells, thus taking advantage of the full solar spectrum. Tandems of Si and novel perovskite cells are a feasible alternative and can be synthesized from cheap materials.
On the other hand, the main requirements of industry are low cost, high throughput and process reliability. Thus, processing techniques and materials should be selected bearing in mind a compromise between cost reduction, acceptable efficiencies and process yield. The aim of this project is to obtain the best suited Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCO), as well as the most appropriate synthesis and deposition methods for their implementation in tandem Si/perovskite cells, substituting other layers whose use would involve scarce/strategic materials or difficult and/or expensive processes. The result should be a more robust process, which helps to close the gap between laboratory devices and the future mass production cells.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinator
1700 Fribourg
Switzerland