While global module supply is currently dominated by established monocrystalline silicon wafer technology, silicon-based cells are approaching their theoretical limit and perovskite technologies have rapidly improved.

The theoretical conversion limit for silicon cells is around 29% and tandem silicon-perovskite cells could increase this to 43%.

Oxford PV plans to commercialise perovskite-on-silicon tandem cell this year, predicting an efficiency of 27% and an energy yield of 24%, compared with a yield of around 20%-22% for most of the silicon panels currently on the market. The company targets to expand its production to 10GW by the end of the decade.

Additionally, IPVF solar institute has partnered with French manufacturer Voltec Solar to build a solar panel factory that will produce Tandem 4T Perovskite/Silicon cells. The partners plan to start production in 2025 and ramp up capacity to 5GW by 2030.

Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) have recorded a 30.3% conversion efficiency for a test-size perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell.

The tandem solar cell is made by stacking a perovskite layer on top of a silicon solar cell, which ultimately increases the amount of light that can be absorbed and used by the cell. The project is supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) through the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics.

With these tandem solar cells, the perovskite top cell can efficiently absorb the blue light and transmit the red light to the silicon bottom cell, producing significantly more energy from sunlight than each individual device.

In late December 2022, research centre Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) in Germany also achieved a 32.5% efficiency world record for perovskite-silicon tandem cells that was certified by the European Solar Test Installation in Italy.

Last year, European researchers have also broken a record of 30.1% efficiency by combining a perovskite solar cell with silicon based solar cell configuration. The result was presented during the 8th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion in Milan, Italy.

The efficiency of the perovskite solar cells have been improved to 19.7%, certified by standardisation organisation ESTI.

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore (NTU Singapore) have produced a less environmentally damaging perovskite solar cell in a laboratory, removing the need for the lead which had previously been used. The researchers have replaced the traditional toxic lead with a zinc-based capping layer on a perovskite solar cell.

Chinese solar manufacturer Risen Energy has reached a new world record of 23.89% on its Hyper-ion heterojunction technology (HJT) solar module and reaching to a maximum power output of 741.456W.

The results were approved by TÜV SÜD, a testing, inspection and certification provider headquartered in Munich. Risen recorded a previous efficiency of 23.65% for HJT in December 2021.

The module is capable of maintaining over 90% of its power output over 30 years due to its extremely stable temperature coefficient and high bifaciality of up to 85%.

The improvements in efficiency come from the use of an ultra-thin wafer, zero busbar technology, hyper-link interconnection and encapsulation material.

The company plans to expand its production of Hyper-ion HJT cells and modules to 15GW this year.

Spanish utility Iberdrola and Spanish solar PV manufacturer Exiom have signed an agreement partnership to build a module manufacturing facility in Spain with an initial annual capacity of 500MW.

The partners plan to invest EUR20m (US$21.3m) in the new facility to produce tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules. Located in the Asturian region of Langreo, the manufacturing plant will create 115 direct jobs and contribute to the economic revival of the mining regions in Asturias this year.

Exiom has two module manufacturing plants in China and expects the launch of a solar panel production facility in Spain could lead to further expansion here, with the possibility to extend to more components of the supply chain and doubling the capacity with a second line.

Trina Solar has reported a new world record aperture efficiency of 24.24%, based on 66 pcs of 210mm × 210mm for industrial large-area n-type i-TOPCon modules.

Trina Solar’s researchers have developed multi-busbar and novel encapsulation technologies, together with non-destructive laser cutting technology to improve module efficiency. Trina brought the maximum aperture efficiency of 24.24% for large area 600W+ modules with an area of 2.807 m2.

The Chinese solar panel manufacturer plans to continue the next generation of high-efficiency n-type technology. Trina Solar’s n-type modules has been recognized by the market since 2018 and widely used in utility power stations and C&I power plants.

Earlier, Germany’s AE Solar unveils new n-type tunnel oxide passivated contacts (TOPCon) solar panel with 22.2% efficiency. The new panel has an operating range between -40C to 85C with a temperature coefficient of -0.35% per degree Celsius and come with a 30-year power output guarantee for 87.4% of the initial yield, based on the company’s statement.